Last Saturday I attended the ‘Power of the Peergroup’ seminar in The Hague, Netherlands. It spanned the full day and featured six enthusiastic speakers, seven including the equally energetic host, who happens to be one of my closest friends :-).

The ’Power of the Peergroup’ (PotP) is a personal development group led by a handful of young fellas excited and ready to happily share their knowledge on what they have learned over the years. They all have different backgrounds and stories, what they have in common is that they all began a journey a few years ago. A journey to find themselves, to truly make something of their lives and to become better people. A valuable process for each of them and they are now working hard to show people their own potential and the possibilities.

I won’t tell you about the day in full detail, the sincerity and enthusiasm of their words would lose value in text. Nevertheless, I’d like to share some of the lessons. The first coming from one of the most naturally excited people I have ever met. He has three rules he lives by:

1. Do exactly what you feel like doing.
2. Be honest.
3. Be relaxed.

“The world is your playground! Go out, do things and talk to everyone. As long as you stay within reason, these rules will take you places.”

He spoke for around 40 minutes, after which I – the whole atrium – felt an enormous buzz of excitement. You can tell the rules work for him, they describe him and his talk perfectly. An excellent way to start the day!

The day was filled with inspiring talks such as these. Topics were, among others:

• Feeling more awesome about yourself.
• Learning to talk more (to the opposite sex).
• Masculine and Feminine energies
• Finding what’s important to you.
• What truths and values you hold dear and ways to find them.

I just want to land on the last one and put it in a bit more detail. The theory states that we are like an iceberg, with our surroundings and behaviour being the tip (above sea level, thus visible). This is what everyone knows and sees, the rest lies under water and is not yet visible. These are our skills, convictions, values, identity and mission. The point is: that part of us is so much bigger and more important than we realise, and through discovering them you will be more true to yourself and able to present this to others.

Obviously these theories and talks stem from somewhere. The speakers get their inspiration from own experiences and many different sources, an important of which is the book by David Deida, also featured in a previous post ‘the way of the superior –‘. Perhaps the most important source however, is the inspiration they give each other, pushing each other to new limits. This is the power of the peergroup. Wherever you get your inspiration from, know that sharing it with your peers and with people who are equally excited helps more than anything. Just think of anything you like, isn’t it more fun when you share that with someone else? A new movie, result of your favourite sports team or even a new crush. Now, personal development is a lot bigger than a mere hobby or interest, but the shared excitement is far greater.

“There is no bigger life hack in the history of the world from getting where you are today to where you want to be, than the people you choose to put in your corner” -Scott Dinsmore.

So many people, including the men from the PotP, have found out just how important it is to surround yourself with the right [passionate] people. To push you – and you them – towards greater heights, to accomplish things you thought were impossible or simply for tips and tricks of the trade. For instance, a friend of mine (the host) wanted to write a book on personal development but wasn’t sure how to do it and if it would work at all. He started working on the project together with a friend and now they’ve landed a book deal!

Surround yourself with passionate people that inspire you and reap the benefits. Just from going to this seminar (filled with passionate people), I’ve thought of new ways to deal with things in life. It has had a positive influence and brings positive change. Thanks guys!