I continue to be amazed by the number of emails, phone calls, or contacts via business and social networks I receive from people who, according to many of them, “are now networking… looking for a new, better or different job.”
Please don’t get me wrong. I am always honored to assist and serve personal and professional friends and colleagues… as well as friends and colleagues of my friends and colleagues. Serving others is an honor, a privilege and a way of life… the only successful way of life in my opinion!
What blows my mind is the number of people who wait until they want or need another job to seriously and proactively start what they call “networking for another job or opportunity.”
What a shame. What an absolute shame! Wasted months, wasted years, even wasted decades that were overflowing with unlimited opportunities to proactively seek out and serve others. There were, there are, and there will always be unlimited… yes, unlimited opportunities to proactively seek out and serve others… with no specific expectations of receiving anything in return.
Please don’t get me wrong. The returns will come… as sure as the sun will rise in the morning. And, if your service to others and the value you create is of high quality and correctly delivered, the returns will flow like a never ending river. And, like a mighty river, they will flow while you are here and long after you are gone.
Preparation for a “new, better or different job,” preparation for better serving others and creating more value, preparation for a better and more successful personal and professional life starts now… today! Preparation for a better and more successful life (however you define success) starts right now, today and every day for the rest of your life.
Create and maintain a positive, productive, service and value laden presence and relationship with as many people as possible. Proactively and consistently seek ways to serve these people, and others, even when there is no evidence of anything in it for you.
I guarantee you will run out of time long before you run out of opportunities to proactively serve others. There is no limit to proactively and consistently serving others! No limit whatsoever, other than your time on this earth.
I guarantee you will run out of time long before you can engage in, or appropriately take advantage of the many opportunities that will come your way as a result of a life lived as described above. One of your biggest “problems, challenges or life-issues” will become:
- “Wow! Which of these many wonderful opportunities should I engage in next?”
- “Oh… if there were only more time!”
- “So much opportunity… so little time!”
Consistent, proactive, seeking out and serving others with excellence will position you for a life-time of success and happiness. If you proactively and consistently serve others… remember the opportunities to serve others are unlimited… you will rarely, if ever need to “network or look for opportunities and offers.”
You will already have a vibrant, healthy, energized, current network made up of people who are standing in line, waiting to help and support you… because of who you are, and what you have done for them!
