Today, I wake up and I realize 2016 is almost half over. The month of June is half over and I have a lot of work that needs to be planned and implemented over the next six months. The first six months saw a number of changes for me personally and professionally. Today, I quickly reflect and see that I need to reset my goals and aspirations for the second half of 2016.
Over the past few weeks, I have read Gary Vaynerchuk’s #AskGaryvee book and have listened to podcasts back to February of this year. I actually found a way to productively use my free time. If you do not follow this guy, you really need to. He has powerful information on life, pursuit of goals, and information that is resonating today.
What I really learned about myself is that I needed to step up my game and get on it today and not push it off any longer.
Lessons learned…
Know your strengths and continue to learn and share based on your strengths. Be in touch with who you are and what you stand for and use those strengths to create a culture where everyone feels safe and knows where they stand. Also realize that some people are not always great fits in your network. Stop wasting your time and energy and move on.
Find ways to develop more of a voice. The landscape is changing. Snapchat is the popular platform for people under 25. Companies need to look seriously at this platform and find ways to interact. I am not quite to this point, but I am using platforms like Linkedin to broaden my connection base. I want to be connected to younger, up and coming stars. If you make the effort, you will find great people. There are plenty out there.
Twitter is another great place to connect with people from other industries and younger, rising stars. It really comes down to getting connected with the right people. Don’t focus on trying to engage with the whole audience on Twitter. Search out and find some great people based on their profile, current activity and quality of information being posted. You can find rising stars on Twitter. These stars may only have 1,000-10,000 followers, but they are quality followers not just a long list of less than quality people.
People are trying to get noticed and those people who I am connecting with are new people who have more respect for the platforms and are not into building a large follower count. They live in the moment. If you think about that for a minute, isn’t that how most conversations are. (Have to give credit to Gary Vaynerchuk for that last statement)
Seriously, listen to great podcasts. Podcasts are making a comeback. There are some really great people who know how to share relevant information. I listen to Marketing Companion, Six Pixels of Separation, All Business with Jeffrey Hayzlett, Marketing Over Coffee and of course, The #AskGaryVee Show.
Be selective when it comes to local conferences and networking events and look closer at the makeup of the groups and determine if being involved will ultimately bring in new clients or a new set of learning about an industry or topic.
Start reading more and being highly selective in what you are reading.
Summary…
All of this information has given me a fresher look at what is happening today in 2016 and how I need to make sure I am engaged and aware of what is happening around me. As a result of this, I need to be more active and involved. Start driving toward a path of ultimately going after the things you want. It really does not do any good to wait for good opportunities to find you. If you want something, start learning more and asking more.
It really comes down to working harder, smarter and longer, yes longer. Too many people do not want to make the investment. I find that those people who are successful are putting their time and resources into all three areas. This group is the minority today.
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