What do Drake, Nelson Mandela and King Arthur Have in Common? The Power of The Right Circle

Originally published on Cleopatra's Worldwide

"Nature gave us friendship as an aid to virtue, not as a companion to vice." – Cicero

King Arthur is a legend. Literally. Whether he was a real King is unknown. His reputation, however, names him as one of the Greatest rulers Britain has ever known. Accompanying him in folklore are the Knights of the Round Table; King Arthur's council with whom he consulted before reaching decisions. The significance of the round table is the way it stripped away the possibility for any one person to rule the roost by sitting at the head. Each Knight was given the privilege to contribute equally to the discussions.

An early account by Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1136) says that, after establishing peace throughout Britain, Arthur "increased his personal entourage by inviting very distinguished men from far-distant kingdoms to join it." In essence, Arthur hand-picked the smartest people from all over the world to sit and work closely with him at his table.

Fast forward to the early 2000s and Nelson Mandela is having a chat with Richard Branson and musician Peter Gabriel. As the Western world prepares to go to war with Iraq, these three men are thinking and wishing for a peaceful resolve. Out of these conversations, The Elders is formed — an independent group of remarkably distinguished global leaders, working together to protect peace and human rights. Members have included Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Ban Ki-moon and Ela Bhatt.

In 2009, Lil Wayne signed Aubrey Graham (Drake) and Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj to his label Young Money Entertainment. Both were relatively unknown at the time. Less than 10 years after coming together, three of only four artists to have ever had such a volume of successful singles in the US are those three.

"Cause we the big three, don't need a big speech / We made the biggest impact, check the spreadsheet / That's Lil Weezy to Barbie and Drizzy Drake" – Nicki Minaj, Barbie Tingz (2018)

"In order to change your life for the better, first you must change your lifestyle. Which can't happen unless you change the people around you." – Charlamagne Tha God

Two of Charles Dickens' best pals were Wilkie Collins and Edgar Allen Poe. Anne, Emily and Charlotte Brontë were sisters. J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were chums from University. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have been best friends for over 27 years…

So what do Drake, Nelson Mandela and King Arthur have in common? They know how powerful it can be to surround yourself with others who are just as hungry and more talented than you are.

Great things can happen when the right people hang out.