Connections

A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with an old classmate from LLHS. Andy, who is currently living and working in Asia, is living the dream. He’s traveling and doing what he loves – and to me, that’s pretty darn awesome.

He and I chatted about what we were up to and though we never talked much in high school, we had the chance to connect over the idea of connecting. More specifically, social media.

This brings me to my point: connections.

No matter what you decide to do in life, you have to keep in mind your network. The people you connect with can be responsible for you losing or finding a job, getting an interview, or even finding your life’s true passion.

I call myself a communicator, but when it really comes down to it, I’m a connector. I like meeting new people and expanding my network. I connect people I know with others who may provide them with some help or advice. I connect people to information they may find valuable. I share my connections.

It’s not easy.

Keeping up one’s network takes a ton of time and effort and while some consider it to be worthless to try to keep up, I beg to differ. I say “Happy Birthday” to people on Facebook. I reply to emails. I send a random “How are you?” every once in awhile to some friends. I’m not perfect about it, but I do make an effort, and believe me. It can be a huge challenge.

Challenge yourself to connect with your network for 10 minutes today. Email some old friends. Facebook someone to catch up. Meet someone new on Twitter. Write a recommendation for someone on LinkedIn. Really take the time to contribute to your network and keep it up. Just ten minutes every day can make a huge difference.