Be Yourself
Are you genuinely interested in building a better personal or professional network? There are tons of ways you could go about doing it. Lots of books (mine included) you can read about how to make it happen. Tons of "networking experts" (snooze alert) out there who will tell you how the cow eats the cabbage on the subject. Lot of BLOGS (this one included) that will give you tips and strategies you can employ to start today!
But the single biggest piece of advice I can give you is.....
Drum roll please!
No seriously....I need it for effect.
Be yourself.
The right kinds of people will enter your life at the exact moment they are supposed to. The problem is if you are too busy polishing up that 30 second elevator pitch on what you do or too worried about making the right impressions by putting on airs, then those opportunities will likely pass you by like a warm summer breeze. Gone, never to return.
People want genuineness when they connect. They don't want the pitch. They don't to be sold. They don't even really care what you do initially. Well the good ones don't anyway.
They want to know you. They want to know who you are. And they hope to be able to share the same back.
Being something you are not only insures you receive more of the same in return. That doesn't build anything but frustration when you survey the landscape of your network and see faces of people who could really care-a-less about being there for you when you need it.
Be yourself and the people you are destined to have in your life will rise up to be there. Just as you will rise up to be there for them.
Just food for thought....
Ripple On!!!
2 comments:
I agree. Being yourself is not only genuine, but allows us to take a deep breath and go aaaaah, wasn't that refreshing, a truth teller.
Love the way you think. Glad I discovered you today. Keep up the great posts.
Glad you said it. It makes such perfect sense, yet somehow we seem to overlook it. Maybe it is because we all fear that the real "me" isn't good enough, so we need to put on an act. Yet in reality, the uniqueness of each of us is our strongest "selling" point. Be YOU and then no one else can copy that. Plus it allows the other person to let their guard down and do the same. Love it!!
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