3 Guidelines for Creating a Support Group That Will Push You to the Next Level

A mastermind group of the right people can do amazing things for your personal and professional lives.

Every aspect of your life can benefit from having a mastermind. There are mastermind groups where business owners and CEOs meet quarterly or yearly to discuss current challenges and ways to improve the growth of their companies. Then there are personal mastermind groups, where people get together to help each other improve their marriages and families, or to help each other achieve personal goals and be a voice of support.

I have a mastermind group of five close friends who are all doing amazing things and want to take their careers to the next level. We share our thoughts, laugh together, and support one another. The kind of impact this mastermind has had on my life is difficult to put into words.

When something didn't go as planned or failure unexpectedly knocked on the door, the collective input and support I received from those in the mastermind led me to see things in a different light. That is what masterminds are for: not only talking about your goals and finding ways to achieve them but also reflecting on and being honest about what is going on in your life.

I strongly advise you to gather four to six people in your life who you trust and who share your desire to succeed. Here are three considerations to bear in mind as you set up your own mastermind group.

1. Determine the overarching goal.

This is especially important in the early stages of developing a mastermind. Is your group, for example, going to focus on the personal or professional side of things? Is the mastermind centered on a specific theme?

These are just a few questions to get you started, but determining the overall goal is a necessary step in getting things moving in the right direction.

2. Make an informed decision.

Be especially picky when it comes to mastermind candidates. You want the other members of your group to be positive, motivated, and hardworking individuals who genuinely want to advance in their lives.

Imagine you're putting together a mastermind group, and one of the members is always a Debbie downer about everything. Even worse is someone who attempts to diminish a goal or dream that you share with the group.

3. Hold regular meetings.

It's one thing to form a mastermind group, but it's quite another to meet on a regular basis. It's pointless to meet every other year or to barely speak to one another. Whether you meet quarterly, monthly, or weekly, just make sure you meet on a regular basis.

My mastermind is made up of people who don't live in the same city as me, but that doesn't stop us from meeting on a regular basis. If necessary, group conference calls can be used. The bottom line is that you and everyone else in the group do whatever it takes to meet on a regular basis, even if it means meeting virtually every now and then.

These are just three ideas to get you started if you're wondering how to get your mastermind up and running. Putting together a mastermind group can do amazing things for your life. It has the potential to open up new avenues of thought. Don't put off discovering the incredible benefits of having your own group for much longer.

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