Ben Stroup

The older I get the more I realize just how important it is to pay attention to the people who I allow to speak into my life. Jason writes:

“The right people at the table can change everything for you.”

I can name the people in my life who invested in me—even when there was nothing “in it” for them. They took time to share their wisdom and experience with me—often in exchange for a cheap lunch or a cup of coffee. I took good notes, listened, and believe—with certainty—that I wouldn’t be where I am today had those same people not influenced me in some very specific ways.

When Jason Young and I connected to work on a new project, I was thrilled to learn about the subject matter. I have thought from time to time that I should write a book about how people have influenced me in my life. Unfortunately, Jason Young beat me to the punch.

Now that we are on the other side of the project, I have to say I wish someone had given me this book 10 years ago.

The classroom excels at transferring knowledge. But if you expect to get much wisdom from the classroom, you’ll be sorely disappointed. At least I was. I remember thinking how disconnected the academic world was from the real world.

There is no textbook, no online course, no seminar, no thesis program that can give me—or anyone for that matter—the perspective and insight needed to decide what direction to move next. It must come from people, just like it has from the beginning of time. We must reclaim the role of “sage voices” in our lives if we ever hope to make sense of chaos called life.

Jason’s new eBook, The Table of Influence, describes the “why, what, and how” as it relates to allowing other people to speak into our lives at critical moments of decision. He writes:

“Without the table, we function as islands depending on ourselves alone for information and creativity. Meanwhile, some of the most brilliant contributors are left out of the conversation.”

He’s absolutely right.

Ben Stroup is a content activist in a post-paragraph world. He is chief broker of opportunity at Ben Stroup Enterprises. Connect with Ben via email, Twitter, and Google+. Subscribe via email to learn how to use content to move people to action.

It is likely you have someone in your life you can learn from, someone who has been down a similar road and faced a similar decision as you are right now. The question is: will you let your pride get in the way of your success?

Who needs to be invited to your table of influence?