When I first read the personal development classic Think and Grow Rich more than a decade ago, I was impressed by most of the ideas in the book except two.
With my hardcore, scientific education background, no one could convince me of the metaphysical concepts explained in Think and Grow Rich.
The second idea I wasn’t impressed by was the idea of a mastermind group. I was an introvert computer programmer, who wanted to be left alone.
I couldn’t see myself as a member of a group of like-minded people with similar goals, discussing their progress in regular meetings, no matter how beneficial such a group and meetings were. I had no idea how to find such a group to start with.
After more than a decade of industry experience, I have changed. I became more extroverted and more convinced of the benefits of a mastermind group.
So much so, that I have written a post about the mastermind principle as the practice that could make the difference between success and failure.
“If I can change, and you can change, everybody can change!” Rocky Balboa
I know that the most introverted, tech startup founders wouldn’t like the idea of a mastermind group. They would think that it’s a waste of time. They wouldn’t like to hang out with other people. That’s the definition of being an introvert. Hold on for a second if you fall into that category.
Tech people hate meetings for a good reason. Majority of meetings are hijacked by extroverted people who don’t know how to stop talking once they start. However, a mastermind group doesn’t need to turn into a typical meeting. There are more efficient ways of facilitating a mastermind group using technology.
I’m going to share a way of facilitating a mastermind group that would convince even the most introverted people. We have been applying this method for more than a week.
I’m enjoying my mastermind group and benefit from it very much. But before I explain the method, let me explain the benefits I get from my mastermind group first.
Motivation
Throughout the years, I realized that I’m more motivated when I work with other people. When I’m reporting to my colleagues or a boss, I feel accountable to them. That motivates me to work harder and go more aggressively after results.
When I work on a project by myself, I don’t have that type of accountability. As a result, my motivation dips when my initial enthusiasm fades. I have already discussed different ways of going through such a dip before. With a mastermind group, I can avoid such a dip altogether.
Feedback
We humans are extremely capable beings, but at the same time, we all have our irrational sides. We know some of our irrationalities, but we also have our blind spots. Our blind spots are our irrational sides that we aren’t aware of. We need to invite and welcome feedback to become aware of our blind spots.
A mastermind group is a great way to receive feedback on our progress. They are there to cheer us up, when we fail to achieve our goals. At the same time, they are there to point it out when we are being delusional.
Ideas and Knowledge
A mastermind group is a great platform to exchange ideas and knowledge. It’s an idea and knowledge multiplier. You immediately multiply your ideas and knowledge with the number of people in your group.
Sure, you still have to implement those ideas and to apply that knowledge, but it’s definitely much better than being limited to your own ideas and knowledge.
When you have a challenge, simply formulate your challenge as a question and ask your mastermind group. Remember, asking the right questions is the first step to success.
A Mastermind Group without Meetings
In our mastermind group, we are with three people. We have the same goal, which is success in online business. We are from different countries. We are even from different sides of the world. There are twelve hours of time difference between some of us.
We haven’t met in person. We haven’t even talked over phone. Yet, we are providing great value to each other. We are cheering each other up when we fail to achieve our goals. We report our goals and progress to each other.
We provide feedback to each other and exchange ideas and knowledge. We do all of that in our own pace, anytime, anywhere we want. How do we do that? We do that with a Facebook group.
Facebook Closed & Secret Groups
I have been a member of closed Facebook groups in the past and I knew that it was a good platform to host a mastermind group.
Posting, commenting, archiving, and searching capabilities of Facebook groups are just fine for the purpose of our group. With the secret group option, our discussions remain private and we are not bothered by other people.
So far, we have shared our long term goals and how we want to get there. I have also reported my first week’s progress. The feedback, ideas, and knowledge shared in this group are phenomenal.
How to Create Your Own Mastermind Group
Here’s how we created our own mastermind group. One of the members posted a valuable tip as a response to one of my Medium posts. We exchanged a few responses and direct messages on Medium and Twitter.
One of us asked the other, if they wanted to participate in such a group. The response was positive, and we started the secret Facebook group. Then, I did the same with the third member and they accepted as well.
How to Find Members for Your Mastermind Group
The idea is to look for people online who are more or less on your level. Reach out to them with a valuable comment. If they respond, introduce them the mastermind idea and invite them to your group.
Don’t take it personal if they don’t accept or not respond to your invitation. That’s fine. You’re just a stranger to them at this moment. Just carry on. Reach out to the next person and ask them. I’d keep the group limited to four to six people, but it’s up to you with how many people you want to work with.
Once you have created the group, then it’s all about exchanging value with each other. Do your best to share the most valuable feedback, ideas, and knowledge you can and they’ll do the same with you. As a result, all of you will benefit from the process.
Conclusion
A mastermind group is a great way to exchange feedback, ideas, and knowledge among people with similar goals.
It increases your motivation by holding you accountable to your group members. They cheer you up when you fail and point out your blind spots.
You don’t have to meet with your group members to facilitate a mastermind group. You don’t even have to know each other in person. You can use the closed or secret Facebook groups to facilitate your mastermind group.
If you don’t know any people to join your mastermind group, simply look for people with similar goals on social media. Reach out to them with a valuable comment and invite them to your group.
Do your best to provide value to your group members and they’ll return the favor. As a result, everybody will benefit from the practice and you’ll make leaps toward your goals.
Burak BilginSoftware developer with a Ph.D. and 15 years of experience. I write daily on personal development and life lessons. Sign up to my email newsletter to receive a weekly overview of my latest content on personal development and life lessons.