Want opportunities, promotion, and ever-growing influence? Here’s how:

Open doors for people.

Give people chances they’d otherwise never get. Leverage influence to launch others into their calling. Write recommendations that give people what they could never get on their own. Refer. Brag. Name drop others on their behalf.

I remember every person that opened a major door for me. Interesting.

• The first person that invited me, at 19 years old, to perform at their conference. (Dave Allport)
• The first person that gave me a shot to be interviewed on their podcast. (Wisdom Moon)
• The guy that gave me $1000 to record my first music album when all I had was a dream. (Jason Min)
• The mentor that pulled all the strings to get me a job at 27 years old. (Eric Peoples)
• The high school counselor who put his name on the line for me to finish school. (Gene Coffey)
• The first guy who had me speak at a business conference. (Jared Easley)

In turn, I’ve tried to open doors for others.

• The young man I got my old church to create a media position for because he needed a job.
• The people from my mastermind group that I put onstage to speak at my own conference, or be interviewed for the very first time on a podcast.
• My former assistant, whose resume I passed on to a friend from a major sports network –– hoping she would get a better job than the one she had with me.
• The countless freelancers I’ve referred leads to that have put tens of thousands of dollars in their pocket.
• The young lady that got to record in a music studio for the first time because I paid the way.

I’ve had opportunities in life because of giving others opportunities in their lives. Really. It’s just the way life works.

Imagine what the world would be like if no one cared about getting the credit.

Sure, some of the people you open doors for will throw you under the bus. Keep doing it anyway. When you open doors for others, more doors open for you. You become a connector. You become a person of repute.

Yet opening doors will keep you humble. The sheer concept of an arrogant doorman is stupid. That’s why it works. Even if a doorman feels passed over, he sees everything. He knows everyone. He is observant, patient, well-mannered, and knows more than people think he does. Sounds like a person primed for promotion.

(I said doorman, not doormat.)

Influence is currency. It’s meant to flow. The more you use it for others, the more you get.

The stingiest, most small-minded people I’ve met aren’t just cheap with money -– they are cheap in spirit. (It’s a true poverty of the soul.)

So, how about this for a new commitment to yourself? Be a door opener.

If you don’t mind seeing others succeed and do better than you, nothing can stop you.

You’ll grow your network the REAL way. You’ll become a connector the REAL way. You’ll prosper the REAL way. You’ll be unstoppable, unforgettable, and influential because no one can lord over the one who is generous.