KEY 4
Proximity is Power
You need to get around people playing the game of life at a higher level than you. It’s uncomfortable but that’s how you grow - just like playing tennis with someone better than you forces your skills to improve.
I’ll never forget a billionaire friend of mine, Peter Guber, Academy Award winning producer, owner of the Golden State Warriors, LA Dodgers, and more. He told me: “Proximity is power.” He encouraged me to get around investment bankers, celebrities, successful entrepreneurs, even when I felt out of place and didn’t have a specific agenda. He said eventually, just by being in that environment, opportunities would come to me. He was right. One of those relationships led to a deal that made $50 million. It was life-changing. Another time, I was invited on a trip with a group of extremely successful businessmen. At first, I felt like I didn’t belong. It was my first time on private jets, going to exotic locations. I felt out of my league. But one of them, Jerry Buss, owner of the LA Lakers, pulled me aside and said I was selling myself short. He said at my age, 19-20 years old, he’d lost a million dollars and had nothing. He told me I belonged in the group and to start thinking bigger. It shifted my mindset. A few months later on another trip, he asked me what my goals were. I sheepishly told him I wanted to help people, maybe even be president someday. He asked if I knew any investment bankers. I said no. He said that was my problem. I had a vision but I wasn’t putting myself in proximity to the people who could help me get there. He pushed me to take a meeting with an investment banker friend of his. I didn’t want to waste their time but I did it. And it led to a partnership that eventually earned me $400 million in a day when our company went public. All because I got in proximity and stayed in proximity even when it was uncomfortable. Proximity is so powerful. Think about it, I didn’t ask to be in a bunch of movies and TV shows. It happened because I was around actors and directors who were fans without me even trying. You get more done through proximity than anything else. You want to get in proximity to the people, places and ideas that can move you forward. Even if you feel uncomfortable and out of place, push yourself to get in those environments. Grab a coffee. Offer value. Build relationships. You never know where it could lead. Jim Rohn said you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos, said the best way to change yourself is to change your environment. Your environment is stronger than your willpower. So if you want to make a change, the first place to start is to put yourself in a new environment that forces you to think and act differently. When I first moved to LA to start my business, I was living in a tiny apartment in a bad neighborhood. I was struggling to make ends meet. But I started going to seminars and networking events. I’d put on my cheap suit and show up trying to build relationships. I remember meeting a real estate investor at one of these. I asked him for advice.
TONY ROBBINS’ 5 KEYS TO CONSTANTLY PROGRESS & AVOID FAILURE
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