I often identify with people who say that they are graduates of Last week, I had the privilege to speak to a group of students at Hofstra University. After the talk, I took questions from the students. Amazingly, while my talk was only 45 minutes long, the question and answer session lasted over 90 minutes. I fielded question after question. These students were earnestly seeking the answers to the success in every area of life - career, finances, health, relationships, you name it. Two of the students even offered to treat me to a round of golf so that they could have an opportunity to ask even more questions.

And while the experience was certainly exhausting, it was also exhilarating. Although they may not realize it now, these students are closer to success than they think because they are learning perhaps the most important life skill - the ability to ask.

Much of my success in life has come from asking the right questions of the right people. When I went into the brokerage business, I asked for the advice of successful brokers. When I went into this business, I asked for the advice of successful coaches and speakers. I simply didn't have the time or the energy to make all of the mistakes that could be avoided by heeding the advice of those who had already been where I wanted to go. As Minna Antrim wrote in her classic work, Naked Truth & Veiled Allusions, "Experience is a great teacher but she sends in terrific bills."

How much is experience costing you in terms of your finances, your business or your family life? If there is an area in your life that you'd like to improve upon (and we all have at least one of those areas), then perhaps it's time to seek the advice of wise counsel. Why take 10 or 20 years to stumble upon the key to a healthy marriage, spiritual enlightenment or your dream job when a trusted mentor can walk you right into the promised land?

I believe that one thing that keeps us from seeking advice is stubborn pride. We don't want to admit to others (or even ourselves) that we don't know what we're doing. However, in our attempt to hide our ignorance, we only prolong it. According to a famous Chinese proverb, "Those who ask questions may be fools for five minutes, but those who do not are fools forever." Therefore, the next time you're in a position to ask questions of someone who has already achieved what you want to achieve, do it. Swallow your pride; it's not fattening.

Of course, just as important as it is to ask the questions, it's equally important to ask them to the right people. Very often, we seek advice from anyone who is handy at the moment. We ask our friends, our families, or the customer next to us in the check-out lane at the supermarket. We ask anyone but the person who has actually done what we are trying to do. Remember, the fool asks the wise man for advice, while the wise man asked the experienced.

Therefore, while your best friend may have an IQ of 180, he or she may not be the person to ask about starting your dry cleaning business. The person to ask in this case is the man or woman who owns seven dry cleaning establishments and is in the process of opening #8. This person will know the answers that your genius friend can only hope to arrive at through mere brainpower.

In some cases, this presents a challenge because we don't always know people with this kind of experience. However, this shouldn't stop us. Where there is a will, there is a way. And one of these ways is to simply seek out the top performers in your chosen field. This is exactly what I did in building my current company, DASH Systems, Inc.

When I first got into the motivation business, I sought out the help of one of the big names in the business. I simply approached the man and let him know that I admired his work and wanted to make the same kind of contribution to the world. Not only was he good enough to offer advice but he invited me out to San Diego to meet some of the legends in the field of personal development.

And why was I able to get such wonderful advice? Because I asked for it. It's really that simple. Successful people are usually more than happy to help others. After all, that's how most of us "made it" in the first place; by getting help from others. We are more than happy to return the favor, but you have to take the first step. Therefore, seek out the leaders in your field and boldly ask for their help, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the results