People who can challenge you

It can be easy to find yourself surrounded by a community of people that don’t make you think very hard or challenge you very much.

Understandably, most people (often including myself) like to be surrounded by others that confirm our own ideas and make us feel good with positive feedback.

This level of external validation can be detrimental because it makes us complacent. If everyone thinks what I’m doing is awesome and I have a bunch of friends who like me, then I’m likely going to think that I should keep doing what I’m doing.

To be a high-growth and output person, though, I would argue that the above is the exact opposite of what will push you.

It’s people that will challenge your ideas and perspectives as well as offer new ones that can open up many of the doors in life. The world is incredibly complex and we don’t know about the infinite things we don’t know about. Intros into different worlds, lifestyles, ideas, jobs and so on helps expand the constellation we have of the world and it can introduce something that might become a deep passion.

There are a variety of ways to get these different perspectives, but a few that I think are quite effective include:

• Traveling and being immersed in local cultures
• Reading about things that go against your beliefs
• Reading about cultures, people or topics that are completely foreign
• Meeting people action-oriented people who are different than you
• Being curious and following intellectual passions

I find myself most inspired and thoughtful after conversations where I learn something very new, have my beliefs challenged or am reminded how much there is to do in the world.