Your Advisory Board

As you begin to create the life you want, you will be faced with many options and many different choices.  My advice? Don’t try to do it alone.  I suggest that you build a team of trusted advisors to help keep you sane, motivated and on track. I called on some members of my advisory board just last night!

Sometimes checking in with your advisors can be as simple as a quick email or phone call.  Other times it will be a conversation over lunch or dinner.  And then there will be the times that call for a full-blown retreat where you lock yourselves away from the world and brainstorm, scheme and plan into the wee hours of the morning.

Here are the people that you’ll want on your team:

A Cheerleader
Someone who really “gets” what you’re trying to create for your life and is 100% in your corner.  We all need people like this in our lives. However, you can’t have a whole team of cheerleaders.  That’s why you also need…

A Scientist
Someone who is grounded in logic and linear thinking.  This person will help you see potential pitfalls that you may not see because of your enthusiasm.  If you have any Vulcan friends, this is the role for them.  The scientist will help you to properly design and engineer the box for your new life.  Of course, once you have that, you’ll need help thinking outside of the box. Which is why you need…

An Artist
Someone with creativity and flair to spare!  Perhaps they are unconventional and can propose solutions and suggestions that NEVER would have occurred to you.  It can be really helpful to have someone with “off the wall” thinking involved in a brainstorming session. They will challenge you to open yourself to new concepts and approaches.

And finally, you most certainly want a…

Coach
Someone who can help you see the “big picture” again after you’ve been staring at the details for too long.  This could be an actual life coach / business coach, or just someone who is good at presenting you with new possibilities and keeping you focused on your goals.  This is the person who will help you spend more time on the solutions and less time on the problems.

The exact make-up of your team will depend on your personality.  Which one of those personality-types are you?  If you’re a “scientist” then you probably don’t need another scientist.

Another suggestion is that you don’t involve these people in every single detail of your new life creation.  If you do, then they run the risk of getting too close to the topic and losing their objectivity.

It’s also beneficial, from a purely tactical point of view, to have a team of specialists in your Rolodex.  People with specific specialties that relate to your goals and dreams.  For instance:
- Accountant
- Bookkeeper
- Lawyer
- Web expert
- Graphic designer
- Printer
- Caterer
- Florist
etc…

A Word About Your Friends…
While you friends are all great people, they may not necessarily be the right people to fill slots on your Advisory Board.  You need to be honest with yourself and ask yourself how many of them are strictly cheerleaders?  Or perhaps you have friends who actually throw cold water on your dreams?  If so, then keep them as friends (if you value the friendship), but don’t necessarily involve them in deep discussions about the new life you’re creating.

Now go assemble your team and convene the first board meeting!