FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE:

INTERIOR DESIGNER’S GUIDE TO CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

WHAT THE PHRASE,  “YOU ARE THE PEOPLE YOU HANG OUT WITH” MEANS TO ME

HOW THE PEOPLE I SURROUNDED MYSELF WITH THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE IMPACTED MY SUCCESS

HOW YOU CAN START SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS

---

I get a lot of designers asking me how I’m still managing construction projects this many years in. How are you still successful, or how have you not burned out yet?

These are incredibly valuable questions and important for me to reflect on and for the people to hear my answers. Obviously, if someone asks me these questions, they’re questioning themselves. 

Maybe they can’t imagine taking on construction management. Maybe they’re doing it now, and they just can’t imagine doing it much longer. They could be looking for the validation or the reasons behind my staying in this niche industry for 30 years. 

Recently, I was reminded about this phrase, “You are the people you hang out with.” 

I first heard about this in high school from my parents. I hung out, for the most part, with a group of people who took school seriously, respected our teachers, and wanted to go to college. We all had dreams and hopes for careers and families, so I guess you could say I was who I hung out with. 

So today, I want to talk about the people you’re around and your success.

The people I was around in high school made me a successful college student. 

I believe the saying, “You are successful as the 5 people around you,” truly applies to your career. In a career, you want to succeed. You want to be the best. You want to hit whatever goals you set for yourself. When I started out in this industry, I wanted to go to graduate school. I didn’t want just to be a department or minor. I wanted to go to The New York School of Interior Design, where it was ONLY interior design. So, I was surrounding myself with people who had the same goals and dreams as myself. And I think that foundation alone set me up for success. 

Frankly, I am still on job sites and speaking to you because of the friends I made inside NYSID. My success is absolutely because of people like me I surrounded myself with. They influence and shape my behaviors and propel me forward while holding me accountable. 

There is so much value in connecting and being in the room with other designers. We are so much more alike than we ever believe when we’re working in our own little silos’. The sharing of funny stories, the good and the bad things that go on, makes you feel normal. Make you feel like you’re not crazy. It gives you that support and hope that you, too, can reach whatever goals you set for yourself. 

So the only way you are as successful as the 5 people around you, is to make sure you’re surrounded by the right people that will support you in your success.