Connections = secret treasures

I was in a business meeting a few days ago when I had a revelation. My entire life I have heard the saying, “it is not what you know, but who you know.” Or, “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows about you.” I never thought much about either of these sayings. I have always been focused on keeping my head down, working and helping others.

Fame, recognition, or credit for work done has never mattered to me. In fact, there have been times when recognition has left me panicking. I prefer standing on the sidelines encouraging others, helping as needed, then quietly slipping into the background again. This process has served me well over the years. Until, it didn’t.

Last year, I took a break from my business. I was working a full-time job, writing on the side, and recovering from life changes. The break was nice. I needed the extra sleep and energy to heal. I enjoyed every minute I had off. Then, as life would have it, business boomed unexpectedly, and I was working around the clock. Slowly, I realized that I no longer wanted to balance a full-time job with my business. If I was going to pursue my passions, I was going to do it full time.

Five minutes after I made the decision to step back from a traditional job, business stalled. You could hear crickets in my inbox. Slowly the panic and worry crept in. I worked hard, focused on learning, made changes, and struggled silently. I worked on changing my perspective, putting positive energy out, and volunteering as much as I could. My daughter was the only person who saw me struggle. I stopped reaching out to people. I locked myself in my room, focused on healing, personal growth, and turning my business around.

I did this for three, long, lonely months. By the time I realized I needed to reach out to my contacts, it was almost too late. Rather than worrying about the mistake I had made, I dove into networking, I connected with people. And pretty soon, those people were connecting me with people. Turns out, it is more important who knows you and your capabilities.

Over the past few months, business has picked up so much, I am learning to practice gratitude while being overwhelmed- my favorite lesson to date. As tempting as it is to skip networking opportunities, I continue to reach out and connect with people. I look at the meetings as an opportunity to invest in others, to lift them up. Being 100% honest, I get more from these meetings than in meetings where I am seeking connections or something from myself.

The moral of the story, no matter how overloaded you are, always make time for networking. Creating meaningful connections is an investment in you and your future. Volunteer, let people know what you are capable of. I promise these investments will pay off. Pretty soon your connections will be connecting you, and doors you never dreamed of, will swing open.

Sara Orellana lives in Oklahoma City and writes a weekly column for The Lawton Constitution.