I have been on the same mission for as long as I can remember: It’s growth. Period. I fully expect to be on that mission for the rest of my life. I plan to continue to grow personally, professionally, financially, physically, socially, spiritually, etc. It’s just how I’m wired. I am a mission-driven person who wants to execute and, as a result, win.

If I ever stop growing, then I’ve failed my life’s mission. That is simply not an option. As they say, “If you are not growing, you are dying,” and I totally subscribe to that belief.

Recently someone asked me how I got where I am today. Given how mission-oriented I am, I thought, “To stay the course on a mission, you need drive.” Then I realized the person was not asking what “within me’” got me where I am. They were asking about the thing or event in my life that was a turning point.

That question proved to be a little more difficult because mission-oriented people like me don’t always take the time to acknowledge those things or moments. Our focus is on conquering the next milestone. As I processed all the inflection points in my life that should be called out and celebrated, my thoughts immediately led me to one constant: people. People are what got me where I am today. It always comes down to the people who cross your path, more specifically, the partnerships you form with those people.

So, the “‘thing” that happened that boosted my professional growth and got me where I am today actually repeatedly happened. And, it’s still happening: I open myself to partnerships.

Back in the day, before I started experiencing true success, I had the mindset that a partner was just someone to divide assets with, leaving me a smaller piece of the pie. During this time early in my career, I was in a role—a very responsible and valuable one at that—of a loan originator. I was a good producer, had decent people skills, some sales chops, and a slightly above-average way of knowing how to get a deal done. Naturally, I knew I could be doing so much more on my own. As my career advanced, I tried to do that “so much more” all by myself. To no one’s surprise, I failed and stumbled several times along the way.

Then one day life threw me a bone.

I started working with a few guys. We started vibing. We started winning alongside each other. Things became easier, and my success started to grow. Of course, we wanted to continue down this road, to “keep the band together,” so to speak. I found myself asking, “Why don’t we go into a partnership?” My perception of partnership had shifted. Yes, partnerships do divide things, but not just dollars and cents. It also divides workload and responsibilities, allowing each partner to focus on their specialized skills rather than having to be everything to everyone.

If you are looking for an opportunity to grow, I encourage you to look within your network and find some people you can flow with and grow with. Perhaps, consider entering a partnership with them. Of course, not all partnerships are guaranteed to be homeruns, nor are they all created equal, but the ones that are good. So worth it. Without partners, I would be a fraction of who I am today. With partners, I am a better version of myself several times over.