In honoring the Chinese New Year, I always go to my children's schools to give presentations, which include story-telling, crafts, videos about New Year traditions, and at the end the children get to do a little lion dance with a small lion head I have. It's a lot of fun for the kids and teachers.

One of the most popular stories I tell is the legend of Chinese Zodiac. This year, as I was telling the story, I thought of the valuable lessons we can learn and apply to mastermind groups.

The legend has it that Buddha was not feeling well one day, and the fairies were trying to cheer him up by inviting animals from all over the country to come to a party for Buddha. Thirteen animals were invited, including the cat and the rat, who lived on a farm together and were best friends back then. The cat wanted to take a nap, and asked the rat to wake him up when everyone was ready to leave. However, the rat did not wake up the cat, and the animals left without the cat. It was unknown whether the rat forgot, or purposefully did not wake up the cat.

So, all 12 animals got on their journey to see Buddha. When they were near the Buddha's house, they came upon a river. Now, the rat couldn't swim, so he begged the ox to carry him across the river. The ox was strong and kind, and he gave the rat a ride. They both got over the river safely, and the rat quickly jumped off the ox and was the first animal to reach the Buddha's house. The ox came in second. Buddha decided to name the 12 animals as the Chinese Zodiac to represent each year.

It was said that cat and rat became great enemies since then, because the rat cost the cat the opportunity to be one of the 12 animals of the Zodiac.

Now, what does this legend have to do with mastermind groups?

I think it's extremely important to pick and choose who you invite in your mastermind group. It could make all the difference in how successful your mastermind group is, and how successful each of your members in achieving his/her own goals.

Obviously, you would want to include more "ox" people in your group, i.e. those who will give you a lift and carry you through challenges, so that both of you will arrive at the finish line and achieve your goals.

Beware of the "rat" people who appear to be your friends, but would abandon you or sabotage you when the going gets tough, or because they are only concerned about their own success.

You might consider some of these characteristics when selecting your mastermind group members:

People who are "givers" rather than "takers"
People who will get along and collaborate well with others
People who are open minded
People who respect differences and other viewpoints
People who are committed
People who communicate well
People who are creative, innovative thinkers
People who share and/or support your vision and core values

The biggest asset of mastermind groups is the people. By being selective about who you include in your mastermind group, you can greatly enhance your masterminding experience and success.

Labels: accountability, getting support, mastermind, personal development, success