Modern Networking

Our ability to reach people – clients, friends, centers of influence, etc., new and old alike – is only limited by our own willingness to take action. James Clear shared the following,

The internet changed the distribution of ideas. It changed the way we receive and transmit information. It continues to change the way we connect and network. Consider how we keep in touch now compared to 10, 20, 30+ years ago. From letters to emails, landlines to smartphones, mass media to social media – times have changed.

Clear is right, there’s never been a better time for the self-motivated. Whether it’s diving deeper into areas of interest or sharing our own curiosities with like-minded individuals, the network is deep and wide. Any one person can connect with people or ideas in a surgically targeted way. Any one idea can be distributed similarly to interested people. It doesn’t require we know everything, just that we are looking for the right people and the right things. All it takes is curiosity, courage, and persistence.

For our professional and personal lives, we have to ask:

Which tools are we willing to use and how do we intend to use them? 

What do we still want to do “the old-fashioned way?” What do we want to be cutting-edge and modern about? 

Which sources are for finding new and which are for maintenance? How do they overlap?

These are all choices, even the ones we refuse to make. Know the gatekeepers, and recognize the opportunity progress provides. The knowledge is out there. Our people are out there. It’s on us to find and connect with them.