suze orman: surround yourself with passionate people

Yesterday, I had the great privilege of attending a live tweet-up with Suze Orman, courtesy of Avon. Orman has been tasked to empower and inform Avon’s 650k direct-sell representatives on how they can make more with less, and yesterday she spent over two hours doling out brutally honest financial advice to a room filled with bloggers. Immediately, I was inspired by Orman’s drive, intensity, and passion; her candor is infectious. Here is a self-made woman, who went from being a thirty-year-old waitress making $400/month at to owning five homes and becoming one of the most sought-after personal finance speakers in the world. Her secret is simple: she worked hard to build her brand with honesty and integrity. She’s mastered her materials and knowledge to such a degree that she never has to look up a question (she’s adamant about not being prepped for interviews). Suze Orman’s a rare breed in a culture where brand-building is synonymous with personal exploitation, air kisses at parties are merely disguises for the cruel words uttered behind our friends’ backs, and entitlement is the norm.

But I don’t admire Orman because she’s wealthy, I respect her because she’s determined; she’s a woman who is evangelical about helping other women. I’ve always been of the mindset that you attain success not by kicking people down or smothering them, but by bringing them along in your journey upward. For years I’ve seen women in book publishing act catty, cruel and competitive, and I never understood that because I’ve always been my biggest competitor, my harshest critic. I purposely surround myself with smart, outspoken, strong women because they inspire me to work harder to not only be a better friend, but to be a better woman. And after hearing Orman speak, and meeting with an incredibly successful businessman and philanthropist, who reviewed my business model and offered sound advice and critical feedback, I’m learning this: the people you choose to inhabit your world are a great determinant to your success. I know that sounds like a platitude, but it isn’t. In a span of two days I met with what couldn’t be two more markedly different people, but they delivered the same message – if you surround yourself with people who focus on what they don’t have rather than what they do, your success will be crippled. This is not to say that I need smiling, shiny-haired automatons in my life, but all my close friends are realistic, optimistic, inspiring, and hopeful. And they’re teaching me that it’s okay to lean on them, that I’m not my whole world, and this is a hard thing for me because I’ve always had to mother, to fix, but suddenly, as I go through this journey in launching a non-profit organization, it’s starting to feel unbelievably comforting to rely on others to help me grow. Yesterday, I confessed to a dear friend that I know nothing about drafting cogent fundraising plans and could she help me? So we spent an afternoon brainstorming, and while she was luminous and effusive and passionate, she set real expectations. And I needed that – the passion and the bottom line.

So, to quote Suze Orman, clean house. Try to surround yourself with people who celebrate you and your journey, regardless of how inane and silly it may seem, because if I listened to every person who whispered fear in my ear: you can’t quit your job in this economy!, I would never be where I am today – a woman who has finally found her passion.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 20th, 2009 at 7:57 am and is filed under entrepreneurs, fashion for all. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.