Photo and blog by Sharman Dow
“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” -Proverbs 13:20
At first glance, one might get the impression and assume these words are a bit harsh. But in reality this proverb has profound meaning that I learned to apply in my business career for many years.
It is easy to find foolish and ill-advised people. They are on every corner and come into our lives daily. However, walking with wise men or women can only bring a positive impact and empower your life for the better. It takes a concerted effort to find these incredible mentors and teachers. Once in a while we just stumble into them. But if you want success to find you, search these people out for your life and don’t lose heart if it takes some time. Those that have traveled the path you are taking and have learned from their own successes and failures will be a great benefit to your personal business success. These jewels will be crowns in your career with their legacy, but it will take some effort on your part to find them.
I learned this bit of wisdom many years ago and always remembered how important it was to find the right people who were willing to help me in my career. I learned this lesson when I took up tennis in high school. Just by coincidence I happened to join my mom in a double tennis lesson and found I had a natural ability to play the sport. So the summer preceding my senior year I learned to play at a local college. I went to the tennis courts at CSUN nearly every day to practice the sport and had a fun time in training my game. There were many college tennis players who were ready and willing to help me learn the sport. These guys were my wise and supportive teachers of the sport and enjoyed helping a younger person who was interested in learning. Their expertise and knowledge of the game taught me innumerable lessons on the courts. My game quickly increased in talent, and by the end of the summer I became the #1 tennis player for my high school girls’ tennis team. I had walked with the wise and grew in my abilities of the game.
However, when the school term started I discovered there were many girls on my high school team that were not as good at playing the game as the college kids that had taught me. For most of my teammates, watching the high school football team practice by our tennis courts held too much of a distraction. It was not long before I found that playing with less experienced players who were continually distracted brought down my game to their level. In fact, as I practiced with my high school team on a daily basis I found all the steps I had taken to increase my talent the previous summer were diminished. I had been inspired by the college kids who taught me, but lost the empowerment by playing with less experienced players. My talent was brought down to my teammates level, and I simply did not play as well as I did in the summer with the college kids.
It was a great lesson in life that I learned at an early age, and this proverb only clarifies the immense wisdom in understanding the importance in business to keep company with those more experienced in your profession. Hang out with the pros and gleam from their nuggets of wisdom and knowledge. You will become empowered to learn and grow in your field of business. Whether your professional career is beauty products, computers, photography, insurance, medicine, law, sales, real estate or whatever it is, make sure you spend time with those who have experience and a proven track record of success. Walk with the wise. Follow them on appointments. Watch and listen or have lunch with them and pick their brains. Gaining from their accomplishments and knowledge will only increase your business acumen and success!
Sharman Dow is the founder of the Empower Women’s Conference, coming October 22nd to Orange County. Register today!
