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Who’s so great they give you goosebumps?
“Hey Chris, can you help me on something?” — me
“Anything for someone in my goosebumps tribe!” — Chris
“Goosebumps tribe?” — me
“Yeah, it’s a group of people I surround myself with because I’m so inspired by what they’re achieving that it’s giving me goosebumps.” — Chris
That was part of an interaction I had with one of my favourite mentors. I didn’t think much about his concept until later when I realize I had my own goosebumps tribe and it allowed me to level up my life.
In October 2018, I joined a group of much more talented writers than I’ll ever be. Being surrounded by these incredible souls allowed me to level up my game in a way I never thought possible. Some people in that group are so impressive that, as Chris said, give me goosebumps.
Later on, I went on to create a “council” for discussing and acting on pressing education issues. We’d do monthly calls, and every time, I’d add a member so impressive they gave me goosebumps. And recently, I created a new mastermind group around what I love to do the most: learning.
As I woke up this morning, scrolling through the messages in my different groups, I realized that this is truly the best way I can think of to level up my life — create my own goosebumps tribe.
How can it make your life better?
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” — Jim Rohn
Jim Rohn said it best.
You become like the people you spend the most time with. It’s not hard to see that for yourself. Just think of moments from your past and picture who you were at the time.
How were you feeling? What were you doing? Who was around you and how did they influence your feelings and behaviour?
When you spend time with people who inspire and uplift you, you’re more positive and motivated. You feel like you too can achieve things your peers are achieving.
The law of 33 percent
In his TEDx talk, Tai Lopez talks about the law of 33 percent. The idea is simple. Spend 33 percent of your time with:
People “below” you;
People on “your level”; and
People “above” you.
The “below/above” concept above just means “less/more” experience in a topic you’re interested in. In everything in life, you’ll always find people with more or less experience than you do. So, for each subject, find your 33 percent chunks.
Mentoring people below you boosts your self-esteem and helps you get better at the thing you’re mentoring in. People on your level keep you motivated. They’re the people you have friendly competition (or rivalry) with. People above you help you get to the next level.
How do I make my own goosebumps tribe?
Non-officially
When Chris told me I was part of his goosebumps tribe, I didn’t even know it. It wasn’t an official group that met up online or even knew about each other. It was just a sample of people from different parts of his life that inspired him. Simply, it was people he wanted to keep in touch with.
The older you grow, the more bridges you burn with people you were once friends with. To figure out your non-official goosebumps tribe, ask yourself:
Who would you keep in touch with, and why?
What can you bring them and what can they bring you?
How do you want to keep in touch and how frequently?
What kind of relationship do you want to have with them?
With these questions, you’ll figure out who’s part of your goosebumps tribe. You don’t need hundreds of people on that list. In fact, I don’t think most people would have more than 10 on their list. My list is about 10 people.
Officially
You can join or organize a mastermind group.
A mastermind group is a peer-to-peer mentoring group used to help members solve their problems with input and advice from the other group members. The concept was coined in 1925 by author Napoleon Hill in his book The Law of Success,[1] and described in more detail in his 1937 book Think and Grow Rich.[2] In his books, Hill discussed the idea of the Master Mind, which referred to two or more people coming together in harmony to solve problems.[3] — Wikipedia
With all the great communication technology we have today, it’s easier than ever to make that happen. Some people do it with Facebook Groups, others with Slack or Discord. I’ve used all three in the past and am still using Slack and Discord.
The idea with a mastermind group is to keep it small with only active and engaged people. Two good ways to make that happen is by making the group invite-only (with or without interviews) or by charging good money to join. Money keeps people accountable.
But how do you find people to join?
If you have to ask yourself this question, you might not be ready to start a mastermind group. When I came up with my latest group, I knew exactly who I wanted in. I invited these people to join as the founding members. There were 15 people to start with, but technically, you could be only two people in your group.
When you think about it, you can’t get very far in life without dealing with other people. Throughout your life, you’ll be surrounded by people who either uplift you or bring you down. Because of that, I say, better to choose a group of people who will consistently uplift you! That’s what a goosebumps tribe is for, and it’s the best way I know to get better in life.
So, start by identifying your non-official tribe. Get back in touch with the good people in your life. Connect on a different level. Start your own tribe and upgrade your life.
You can do this!