Networking Lesson #1 - Set Goals Before You Begin Networking

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Goal identification seems to be the largest stumbling block for anyone looking to increase their value in this world. Why? There are so many options to choose from when it comes to how we want to individually impact our own lives. Not to mention, movement towards any goal can take considerable time, and that is a commodity everyone seems to be short on these days.

So, it is imperative you begin your goal setting with the end in mind. Why do we do this? It is actually a very logical process. The idea is if we have our ultimate goal in mind at the beginning of our venture, we can reduce that goal over a specific timeline with daily tasks defined to help us take steps towards that ultimate goal. For example, you want to sell $120,000 worth of product the next calendar year. The next calendar year becomes your timeline. You break that down into $10,000 per month. You reduce that to $2,500 per week. You then translate that to $500 per day in a 5-day work week. Your product price is $100 per unit. You have to sell a minimum of 1 unit per day to reach your annual goal. Then, you simply FOCUS your DAILY tasks around selling that 1 unit per day. If any task you have for that day DOES NOT help you ultimately reach your daily goal, then you let that task fall down on the priority list.

This goal setting task seems very simple, and quite frankly it is. Where people tend to fall short is in the DAILY execution of these goals. You have to take massive action daily to accomplish your ultimate goal. The beauty of this exercise is if you do, in fact, form the correct habits over a few week time period, then reaching your ultimate goal will feel like you have been set on auto pilot, and the tasks you do daily will become second nature. When this happens, success begins to feel automatic. Now that you feel great about being able to accomplish your goal, you still have to identify what goal you want to set. To do so, do the following:

1. Where do your interests lie? Brainstorm and write a list of what motivates you, and what you are personally passionate about. Passion is the KEY to sticking with any plan and doing what is necessary to become successful.
2. What do you want to accomplish with your passion? Are you trying to create a non-profit organization? Are you trying to generate significant wealth with a new idea? Are you trying to generate just a little more income to reach a new purchase goal, an investment goal, or possibly to take a dream vacation?
3. Now, write down the types of people or organizations that can help you reach your goals. Are they charitable organizations? Are they organizations to help you build the skills set necessary to help you promote your new idea? Is it a mentor that will help you achieve your goal quicker or hold you accountable to the necessary actions?
4. Schedule a timeline for completion of that goal. How long will it actually take you? What steps are necessary to achieve it? Break everything down into daily tasks.
5. Write those daily tasks into a calendar so you can see what needs to be accomplished daily.
6. Read your ultimate goal, and the tasks that need to be completed for that day EVERY morning when you wake up, and again before you actually begin your day. This will help reinforce your priorities for that day and will "keep the ball moving forward." Reading your goal and understanding your tasks that need to be completed will propel you forward in reaching your ultimate goal, but most importantly, you will form great habits that help you achieve your goal.

Now that you have identified your goal, and have broken down how to achieve that goal, we can begin to think about the networking piece of your puzzle. Networking will give you exponential power in achieving your objectives. It will do so in NUMEROUS ways. It may provide the capital you need to get a business started, it may provide the brainpower to help you drive one aspect of your business, it might even help you hire the right people to help you achieve success at a quicker pace. Regardless, you will find networking to be the key ingredient in driving tremendous success no matter what you are looking to achieve.

Be looking for Lesson #2 shortly on how to begin developing your network. Network development is obviously a critical step, and one that does not need to be taken lightly. I will show you how you can attract anyone you want to your network, but you MUST be selective and utilize your goal to help you decide who is really important for you, and why it will benefit them to help you. Until next time...

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Understanding How to Employ Powerful Networking

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Networking...a group of things connected together using some form of talking or other communication. That is the definition I just looked up on Wikipedia. I have made the decision to begin blogging about networking because it is absolutely critical in reaching success of any kind, on any level, at any point in anyone's lives for anything they are trying to accomplish. People ask me constantly, "How did you meet that CEO? How did you find that position? How did you get that job? How do you know her?" My pat answer, "Networking."

Networking has become much more accessible in today's time with the internet, social networking sites, civic groups, etc. With that accessibility however comes confusion, frustration, time limits, and "analysys paralysis." Which site do I join? What exactly am I trying to accomplish? How do I find the time to maintain my network? Is this really worth my time?

I am personally going to help you answer these questions over my next few blogs. I will help you identify the goals your are trying to accomplish, a timeline to do it in, and the resources you should consider in putting your entire plan together. Later, I will drill down to specific goals, and how to achieve those goals with a little bit of thought, planning and execution. If we are going to continue to foster entrepreneurship and growth in this country, it is imperative more people learn to utilize the power, or dare I say "synergistic power" of networking. The old adage "two heads are better than one" should be changed to fit today's society. Maybe we should realize, "ten million ideas infused with action creates a brand new economy (add that to my first of many quotes to come even though it is a bit weak)!"

I understand the power behind networking and even more so understand it is my duty to teach people how to become better networkers and the power this one word truly beholds. I look forward to providing more in the coming weeks. I guarantee it will not be a waste of any of our time! Until then...