Surround Yourself

I can still vividly remember the day I told Shawn I wanted to start a blog.  We were sitting at our dinning room table, eating lunch together on a Sunday afternoon.  Nicole was only a few weeks old and the newness of her life as well as the news of our move to Texas was fresh on my mind.  I knew that the hardest part of this move for me was going to be leaving all of the people we loved so dearly.  I needed a way to feel connected and in-touch so I told Shawn that I wanted to start a blog.  He was instantly supportive of the idea and has helped get each post off the ground in some way or another week by week.  This week, Shawn graciously agreed to step out from behind the scenes and say hello in a more personal way.  He wrote today’s post on ‘Surrounding Yourself’ and I’m excited for him to chime in every once in a while moving forward.  

I’ll be in touch next week!  

Love, 

Erica 

“Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life” Proverbs 19:20 NLT

The writer of Proverbs gives us long-lasting advice which basically says surround yourself with high-quality people and let them teach you - and when you are open to being taught, you will be wise beyond your years. A teacher friend of mine says it differently: if you want to be extraordinary, you need to hang out with extraordinary people.  

I’ve been very fortunate my whole life to be surrounded by extraordinary people. And, the people who surrounded me were, in many cases, older and certainly much wiser. When I think of my childhood years I can point to some high-quality next-door neighbors and family-like friends who lived up the street. They lived life in a way that showed me how to love others well. 

Reflecting on my high-school years makes me think of the consistent and loyal friends who showed me what its like to have long-lasting friendships. 

Since the start of my career there have been many individuals who have taught me life-long lessons starting all the way back to my first day at my first job. These co-workers have taught me everything from how to be a professional, how to understand and leverage my gifts and talents, and how to think strategically.

Most importantly, my wife, who sees and brings out my best qualities and encourages me to take all that I have learned and refine it. She also helps me refine and improve my rough edges. 

There is a similar thread of qualities in all of these relationships. First is that they are still relationships we maintain to some degree. I am still connected with the next-door neighbors, and the family-like friends. My high-school friends and I are still connected. I still communicate and seek counsel from former co-workers. Second, I still consider them wiser than me. Finally, they are all still extraordinary people.

The writer of Proverbs is right, “get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life” A message I see in there is that advice and wisdom does not have an end. We should never stop seeking it and should never think we have enough.

Be extraordinary. Surround yourself with extraordinary people. I have, and I learn something from them every time I’m around them. Who surrounds you and are you learning from them? I think its worth a look.  

Shawn