Today I am thankful for the ability to network. I previously shared my concerns here regarding the challenges that I have faced regarding allowing myself to depend on others. Well, in order to allow yourself to depend on others you must open yourself up to them and allow them to enter into your life to a certain degree. The same can be said for networking. Networking requires you to allow others to engage with you, get to know you, and establish a connection with you.
Now, though I have always loved meeting and getting to know new people, even the mere thought of networking was enough to make me shake my head and allow more of my shyness to come through. I have never been a person who enjoyed the idea of being in a crowded room or area, speaking publicly, or just about any other activity that required me to be the center of attention in a large public setting. That just was not my thing. I made the best of those situations when they occurred, and did so successfully, but it was not because of any preference on my part.
Needless to say, I have become a little more comfortable with being the center of attention and with speaking publicly. However, I am still a work in progress. And I must say that the more comfortable that I become with speaking publicly, opening up to new acquaintances, and putting myself in the forefront when need be, the more that I recognize the benefits of networking – establishing new contacts, broadening one’s horizons, expanding one’s knowledge base, etc – the more comfortable that I become with networking.
And though it has taken a while for me to warm up to the idea of networking, I have come to realize that in many ways networking and I are perfect for each other, and if handled appropriately, our interactions will yield results that will be beneficial for years to come. #lovebythedrop
love by the drop 