In the life of any entrepreneur there are enemies and allies to your progress. The key to greatness is sorting out those enemies and allies so that you can spend more time and energy on the allies and ignore or avoid the enemies.

Today I want to talk about how you can identify the allies and enemies in your own life.

Now this may seem like an obvious thing…but anything that seemsobvious is something you might take for granted. Or something that might be more complicated than you think.

For example: with where I’m at in my career, a lot of people would be tempted to say I’ve “made it.”

Personally, I believe in never peaking, so I don’t usually think of myself as the guy who “made it.” I think of myself as the guy who has many more mountains to climb. And honestly, this seems to be a pretty common attitude among super successful people.

But for the sake of this argument, let’s say I have made it.

Guess what: I’m still discovering new enemies and new allies in my life that I never knew I had!

So it’s important for all of us, wherever we are in the journey, to think carefully about the enemies and allies in our lives.

Sabotage is Your Enemy

The first thing you have to realize about this process is that it’s not about what you like or dislike.

In fact, a lot of the most dangerous enemies for an entrepreneur are the ones that seem comfortable or enjoyable at first glance.

Think of it this way: if some stranger were to walk up to you and tell you your idea sucks, that might get under your skin, but at least it’s out in the open. You can pretty easily discount that guy’s opinion and move on.

But what if there’s someone in your life who loves you (or says they do) and they tell you “not to aim too high”? What if they claim that they’re “trying to keep you safe” and “protect you from disappointment”?

Or maybe that voice is in your own head…

Whoever is saying that, whether it’s your best friend, your significant other, your family, or yourself, you need to sit down with them and have a serious talk.

Because the truth is, that voice of safety and comfort is an enemy to your progress.

Come on man, you’re an entrepreneur! You’re supposed to get your hands dirty! You’re supposed to grind and grind and grind til you think you’ve run dry! You’re supposed to fail, over and over again, until you get it right in a big way!

Taking the comfortable route, or the safest route, or even the most balanced route, is not going to put you in a position to make the big wins you need to be a true leader.

Regardless of the person’s intentions, when someone tells you to take the “safe route” they are sabotaging you.

Now does that mean you have to cut them out of your life entirely? Let me put it this way: you are 100% in control of who you spend your time with, who you talk to, and you listen to.

Maybe letting go of certain people will liberate you. Maybe for others you just need to spend less time with them. Your call.

Besides, look at where that “stay safe” advice is coming from…I’m willing to bet that the people saying that have never experienced any huge successes in their careers.

Sure, they may have an “okay” job and “okay” money, and maybe they’re doing great in other parts of their lives, but let’s be real here: are any of them making 6, 7, or 8 figures?

Because let me tell you: most of my closest friends are in the 7 and 8 figure range, and they are all OBSESSED with taking risks, trying new things, going out on a limb, getting their hands dirty, and failing faster so they can learn faster.

Speaking of which…

Mentors and Role Models Are Your Allies

Any successful person can tell you that the first rule of wealth is to make smart investments.

An “investment” can be a lot of different things…it’s not always just buying stocks or property.

In fact, the most powerful and long-term wealth building investments you can make, especially early in your career, are investments in your own knowledge and skills.

You can do this with blogs, YouTube videos, books, DVDs, audio programs, podcasts…those are all great places to start.

However, the most effective way to build your skills and knowledge is through coaching programs, mentors, and role models.

I know personally that my career REALLY took off when I started attending mastermind classes on marketing, selling, and business development.

I had gotten pretty far already on audio books and free online content, but once I was able to watch real successful people in action with my own two eyes, and receive hands-on guidance for my specific challenges, that is when my profits SOARED!

Now I’ve been lucky to occasionally receive free coaching and guidance from mentors like Jim Franco…but for the most part I have paid for my coaching with my own money.

Look, I didn’t call it an “investment” for nothing. If you really want to succeed, you need to put your money where your mouth is.

PLUS, I’ve noticed a funny thing now that I run several masterminds of my own: the people who pay the most for their coaching tend to be the most dedicated, most hard-working, and ultimately most successful in the group.

And you know what’s even crazier? I’ve seen people switch from month-to-month payments to paid in full halfway through their contract…and suddenly those SAME PEOPLE are working harder and getting even greater results than when they started!

Now what’s going on there?

Well, it turns out that there’s a lot of psychological research behind this.

Basically, the more you invest in something, the more likely you are to take it more seriously in the future. It creates this positive feedback loop in your head that looks like this:

I made a big investment in this program…

That means this program must be very important to me…

And since it’s important, I’m going to invest even more of my time and energy into it so I can make sure I get the maximum value out of it…

Hey, that worked! I’m going to do that again!

Of course, the biggest benefit of seeking out mentors, coaches, and role models is always going to be full immersion. Let me explain what I mean by that.

Over the course of my career, I have absorbed knowledge from some of the most successful people on the planet. People like Tony Robbins, Peter Diamandis, Dan Kennedy, and Joe Polish…

But by far the biggest contributing factor to my success has been watching my own good friend Craig Ballantyne in action.

With all the coaching programs we run together, I spend A LOT of time with the guy, and to this day I am amazed by his level of discipline, focus, and generosity.

Seeing him in action gives me zero excuse to slow down, slack off, or make excuses. And he inspires me to constantly improve myself and stay true to the vision I have for my life and business, because that’s what he’s doing. It’s full immersion in the process of successful living.

So go out there and find your greatest ally: your Craig Ballantyne. The person who embodies your key values in a massive way and inspires you to thrive. The person who will give you that full immersion experience of success.

By the way: coaching programs and masterminds are one of the best ways to find people like that. They tend to attract success-minded people, and the best of them are designed around group collaboration.

If you’re curious about getting a coach, make sure you check out my Coaching and Consulting Program.