What if instead of envying the people who are a step ahead, we strive to connect with them? What if instead of isolating ourselves, we made interactions with others? Imagine the difference it would make in our lives’ journey. Sometimes we are so engrossed in our world and we miss out on opportunities to connect.
A couple of years ago I attended a mini workshop on “creating your own platform in the business arena” by Masithokoze Moyo-Thompson; the co-founder and the CEO of Angel Wings Aviation, an exclusive travel consultancy with private jets and helicopters. It was somewhat the spur of the moment thing on my side. I had only learnt about the workshop the same morning when she was doing an interview in the local radio station. She was totally captivating and had immense knowledge on entrepreneurship so I decided I liked her and didn’t see a reason not to attend.
Masithokoze was running late, there was something about flight delays. For almost an hour we sat waiting for her. When she finally arrived she asked us a very important question “how many of you have made any attempt to make conversation with at least five people you don’t know in this room?”
None of us had done that, she narrowed the number to two, and not a single person in that room had talked to the person they didn’t know (well save for the organisers). She pointed out to us how we have lost out on an hour of networking. I felt like a student who have not done her home.
This is something most of us are inclined to, whether it is church or business meetings we like limiting our conversations to only people we know. Network was not the subject of that workshop, but that day, I left knowing that in a successful person’s mind the value of an hour can be measured by the connections that are made.
Why you should not miss on the opportunity to connect
Here is what Masithokoze was encouraging us, to not miss out on opportunities to network but to always open our eyes to the possibilities of creating connections. Whilst we sat and sulked and complained about delayed flights, we let the opportunity to build connections slide by, connections that could possibly lead to some long lasting benefits. An hour’s networking would have offered us endless possibilities.
It could be that;
- we would have built on very meaningful relationships,
- we would have improved in our people skills,
- we would have learnt to sell ourselves better,
- we would have found something interesting about other people
- we would have created connections that serve to build our dreams
In order to accomplish a dream of great magnitude, we need to embrace the power of connections. Your dreams sometimes will require every ounce of energy to happen. Sometimes your dreams will demand for you to be everywhere and anywhere at the same time. Unfortunately you can only do so much as a human being, but other people can be an extension of yourself. Other people can become your feet and run on your behalf, other people can become your mouthpiece and speak on your behalf. They could push you up the ladder when you are too tired to climb.
Conclusion
Successful people know that it is all about connections. They know that whereas someone can move a thousand stones, someone else can turn a single stone and that single stone is just as important. So they make even the seemingly insignificant connections matter. In your journey different people from all walks of life will show up on, be ready to make meaningful connections.
Have you ever missed out on an opportunity to connect? What holds you back from building connections?