It’s that time of year again. The time of year where everyone is setting their New Year’s Resolutions and are all motivated to reach new goals for 2015.
I’ve got something new for you this year though…
I want to challenge you to think about something different this year.
Don’t think about resolutions. Think about the connections you have instead.
You have goals, you need a plan and…
You need people who will help you get there.
We tend to think of our goals as something we, in our private silos, have to accomplish but that is rarely the truth.
We need mentors. We need advisers. We need vendors. We need accountability partners.
It’s a common phrase in the personal development world that if you want to be successful in something find someone who already has done it and learn from them.
So, WHO do you need to meet this year?
That’s what I’m working on in my business. Of course I have goals (financial, systems, new products, etc) but as each one of those things comes up the first questions I’m asking is, “Who do I need to know to help make this happen?”
This year I challenge you to do the same.
Stop right now and get out a piece of paper to do this exercise. It will only take a few minutes and could be the single thing that makes the biggest impact on you reaching your 2015 goals.
1. Fold the paper in half vertically (top to bottom)
We’re making two lists here.
2. On the left side, write down a quick list of the goals you have for the new year.
Don’t think too hard on this and don’t take too long with it.
3. On the right side, list the people you need to know to help make this happen.
Here’s a few of the roles that you will likely need:
Mentor – someone who’s already doing what you want
Coaches – someone who will help guide you on the quickest path to your success
Partner – people who can do the things you don’t know how to do yourself
Joint Venture/ Referral Partner – People who serve the same audience you do and who you can cross promote with
Vendor – people who provide the services you need to reach your goal (aka, web designer, programmer, book editor, etc)
4. Once you have the generic role of the who you need, make a list of specific people
Who do you already know?
What names come to mind that you “know of” but may not know personally?
Who would know someone that could fit that role?
Your job here is to actually make a list of specific people you will reach out to and bring them into your network of people.
5. Now looking at each of these people…
How can you help them?
Remember that it’s a two way street. You’ve got to be able to bring something to the table as well. Many people are happy to help but you don’t want to take advantage of them. It may be as simple as giving them some advice on something you know more about. It might be to help share their latest book.
What can you offer them to help them out?
They may not need it or even want it right now, but just by offering you’re showing them you value them and you aren’t there just to pick their brain.
Show them you value the relationship and want to help them as well as receive value from them.
6. Get to talking!
Yep, it doesn’t do any good to make the list if you just look at it all day. You’ve got to reach out to them and start the connection.
It can start by commenting on an article they posted or sharing something they posted on Facebook. Just take action any way you can to start the relationship and get to know them.
I’ve started amazing relationships with people just by sharing a message on Facebook or sending them a message on LinkedIn. Most of the time, you might already know someone who knows that person.
In fact, I’m reading a book right now that I want to get to know the author of. I was already planning on connecting to him to see how I can build the relationship when I read a chapter in his book where he mentioned a mutual friend we have in common. That made my face light up. I know I need to figure out how I can help him as well but as soon as I’m ready, I have someone who knows him personally that I’m sure will be happy to introduce us.
That’s the type of thing that can happen once you build your network and connect with the right people.
So, as I said before, I challenge you to shift it up a little this year. Spend less time thinking about your goals and resolutions for the new year and spend more on “who” you need to know this year.
You’ll be amazed how much further you will get with the right people in place.
