Everyone wants to be connected.
Good connections lead to opportunity.
Opportunity is created through open doors and being connected does open doors.
While it is a given that knowing people is important, it is more important who knows you.
Whether you own a business, work for a business, non-profit, government agency or volunteer, who you know expands your opportunities.
Of course you know that opportunity knocks for those who know how to ring the bell.
Unfortunately, waiting for opportunity to knock is a myth. Like all enduring projects, planning, preparation and performance are the fulfilling elements of making hay from opportunity.
While many people believe their day will come when Publisher’s Clearing House knocks on their door and solves their financial woes, the reality is…probably not.
The odds favor the person who knocks on doors.
When you consider your circle of friends, your opportunites in life are in direct proportion to the circumference of that circle.
When your circle is the size of a donut it produces a few crumbs.
When your circle is the size of an arena, your opportunites are expanded exponentially.
With the advent of the internet, social media and digital correspondence, the opportunity to stay in touch and expand relationships creates the opportunity for everyone to expand their circle.
Of course there is a catch—staying in touch is different than staying engaged.
Staying in touch is like a kiss on the cheek. Being engaged is a bold next step that requires commitment.
When your church, club or organization has a fundraiser, the statistics are nearly always the same. Twenty percent of the members generate eighty percent of the results.
Why? The twenty percent have circles of influence that are wider and more engaged than the eighty percent.
And, it’s not just fundraising, it applies to any individual, project, activity or program for nearly every organization and agency in existence.
So how do you move into the circle of the twenty percent and enlarge your circle of engaged friends and aquintances?
Join, participate and perform.
Join an organization that is known for action, accomplishment and success.
Participate with a definte goal in mind of getting to know each member; their strengths, abilities, weaknesses and members of their circle.
You will learn quickly who falls into the twenty percent circle. These are the doers. These are the people who make it happen. These people are called successful. They know how to organize, implement, and complete their objectives.
These are the people you want to be connected with.
May your New Year be filled with wonderful new connection opportunities.