Transforming An Attitude To Create Endless Possibility

In my world, books are gold. I love my books and love going to book stores and just perusing the shelves. Why? Because knowledge IS possibility, power, pleasure and opportunity. That’s what I believe. You never know what mindset shift may actually come your way from a single word or sentence in a book.

Recently, I finished reading ‘Endless Referrals – Network Your Everyday Contacts into Sales’ written by my friend, Bob Burg. I had previously fallen in great appreciation of Bob’s work after reading his two books, co-authored with John David Mann, Go-Giver and Go-Givers Sell More.

Aside from the fact that I found the ‘ER’ in the title to be fitting for me in my current state of business, the content in the first two chapters was music to my ears. Sometimes in business we need an extra helping hand to get our perspective in line with our goals and dreams. There are also times when it takes hearing a message confirmed through the pages of a good book that our call to action becomes crystal clear. That’s what happened by Chapter 3 for me with the ER book (no, not Emergency Room, Endless Referrals).

Bob shares his system for building a revenue stream based on relationships. By being a resource to others and your community. It was the essence of the Go-Giver conversation and confirmed that my heart as the Perpetual Giver was right on point. That for me was a much needed conversation with MYSELF. You may ask why? Well, it’s because there are times when one might be giving continually, a lot of themselves, that they end up feeling depleted on the other side. Asking WHY? That was exactly the place I was sitting in when I started Endless Referrals. And by the time I hit page 63, I was lit up inside!

The Genuine Networker was confirmation that I was following more than my heart, honoring who I am hardwired to be. What I discovered is that while it’s easy and natural for me to connect people, share information to promote other people forward, or deepen their learning, the resistance I had was about other people, not me. Let me explain. For a genuine, authentic people person, at times it can be hard to be around others who do not exhibit that Go-Give behavior. To hang around people who have the WIIFM tattooed on their forehead at every networking event is depleting. And it’s frustrating. Then I realized that I was doing something that was against my own code of conduct as a person and as a certified coach. I was holding a judgment. An expectation of how ‘others should’ behave.  And that is what I was bumping up against, not the fact that I was giving too much. There is no such thing in my world!

I was bumping into a judgment that I had inappropriately placed on others who did not exhibit a spirit of Give. It was time to change that perception and quickly! As I believe knowledge is Possibility, Power, Pleasure and Opportunity, here are the Three P’s and an O to better show my point.

Possibility: I needed to acknowledge my own judgment and fault in the middle and forgive myself. You see, I believe we can’t truly move forward into possibility until we unearth what is holding us back and seek forgiveness if needed, even from our self.

Power: my own personal power had been depleted because of what I was holding onto in my judgment. I was giving up power to other people that I didn’t even know with assumptions I had made. By releasing that I immediately took back my own power.

Pleasure: It’s all about service to me. when I am out networking, I have a plan as Bob details in Endless Referrals in advance. I am identifying who I want to connect together, who I want to meet myself and how I might be of service with information sharing (not business getting), to the folks I meet. I take great joy in connecting other people together. The joy in their faces when I put them together, and it’s the right connection, lights me up inside.

Opportunity: This step for change was to create my strategy for networking and showing up in the community that was honoring to my heart for giving, teaching and sharing. My personal growth comes by having my plan mapped out and clear so that I am walking in my heart and power at all times. There is no greater opportunity than that.

Please share your thoughts and experiences networking here with me and our readers. That way together we will support all in moving forward and trying on a new way of showing up in the world.

Oh and I almost forgot! I have a gift to offer you today. Head over to my website at this link to learn more. It may be just the little gem you need to propel you forward. I hope it is! And pick up your copy of Endless Referrals by Bob Burg today. You’ll be glad you did!