If you are Kevin Pietersen, Brett Lee or MS Dhoni you might answer with a five (or maybe six) figure number. Which is nice for them, but what has it got to do with making you a better cricketer?

Scientists have worked away to find out the factors that contribute to whether someone succeeds or fails at their goals. The biggest determining factor is your social network.

Put simply if your friends play a lot of cricket, you are more likely to play more. If your family eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise, guess what? You probably will too.

That means one of the most important things you can do if you want to do well as a cricketer is surround yourself with people who support your goals.

This can sometimes be tough. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you spend every day with people who are fit and healthy (play sport, eat a balanced diet, exercise, etc.)?
2. Do you have people you can turn to if you want to practice or workout?
3. Do you belong to any groups who meet at least twice a week to train, play sport or workout?
4. Do the people you live and/or work with ever bring food that is considered healthy?
5. Do your friends and family ever talk to you about your cricket in a positive way?
6. Do the people in your life make a point of avoiding activities that interfere with your cricket practice or training?

If you can answer yes to all or most of those questions, you have a great support network. Congratulations your fans are working for you.

If you see a lot of answers of no, you might need to do some work to get to where you want to be, and I'm not talking about more nets either.

How to get social support when you don't have it

Getting the support of your friends, family and peers can be tricky, especially if there is a negative attitude. I have seen it myself even within cricket sides themselves.

However the answer is simple. Dump everyone negative in your life, get a new job (or go to a new school) and only make acquaintance with supportive people.

But, you can take some positive action with being so drastic.

Start by planning to spend more time with your fans and less time with the others. You don't have to cut people off, just focus on the people who can help you (and possibly you can help in return).

That might mean finding some new friends with similar interests or hiring a coach.

It might also mean seeking out like minded folks on the web. The miCoach forum is a good place to start.

In the coming weeks I am planning a brand new addition to the site that will make getting the support you need even easier. Subscribe to the newsletter for news on that when it happens.

Whatever way you choose to go though, make sure you've got some help in your corner. It could double your chances of success. Isn't it time you did that?

Image credit: CC Chapman