Have you ever thought about the different types of people you need in your life? You need different types because no one or two people can be everything to someone else. Each type of person brings different strengths to make you better. Here is a list of seven people you need:

1. Someone to challenge you to make you better. Someone who is further along than you. Whether it is a skill or an intrinsic quality, we need people who are better than us in various areas to help us improve. John Maxwell says that if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. This idea used to be foreign to me, as I wanted to be the smartest in the room and the best in any group. However, I later realized that if no one was ahead of me, then there was no way I could grow myself.
2. Someone to be brutally honest. Although it is not pleasant at the time, we need these types of people in our lives to tell us the things we need to hear without sugar coating it. When we ask for their feedback and we know they have our best interests in I was talking to a client a few days ago, and she was referring to a coworker that she was going to get feedback from, and she said, “I know the feedback will be the truth, because this coworker always is brutually honest.” I never have to wonder if it is true.
3. Someone to make you laugh. The late Arnold Glasow said, “laughter is like a tranquilizer with no side effect.” Sometimes, you need people lighten the mood when you are stressed or worried about something, and for that moment, you are able to suspend the negatives in your life as a result.
4. Someone to hold you accountable. As adults, we can pretty much do anything we want to do as long as it’s legal. Yes, there are consequences to our actions; however, so many people admit to me they need someone to hold them accountable. Usually, this cannot be a family member or a friend, as it commonly does not go well. We know and they know that is not their role in our life. My advice is to hire a coach to help you in this area. A coach who is not there to be your friend, but to hold you accountable to do the things you want to do and the things you need to do.
5. Someone to encourage you. No matter how positive or independent you are, there are going to be days when you feel down, or you have been rejected or lost the sale or need encouragement from someone else. It is in times such as these when you need someone you can talk to who will encourage you.
6. Someone to listen. If you are extroverted, you love having someone who really listens to you. And if you are introverted, you probably do a lot of listening, so you need someone to listen to you. Because you usually assume this role as an introvert, you probably find those because those people are few and far between.
7. Someone who unconditionally loves you. Everyone needs someone who they can be their authentic self with. This is the kind of person you can be 100% authentic self around, because you know that even if they don’t agree with you or even understand you all of the time, you know that they are not going to think any less of you.

Are YOU one of these types of people to someone else? You can’t be every one of these to people; however, you can lean into the qualities where you are gifted. For example—are you an encourager? If so, then lean into someone to really be that “encourager” in their life. If you are a great listener, then listen to someone who needs a listener. Be the type of person who leans into others and make a difference to them through your strengths.