I love the holidays. But maybe not for the same reason employees like them. When you work for yourself it’s harder to shut off the entrepreneur brain. I like the fact that everything in life is a chance to learn something new. And when I learn a new skill I’m compelled to either figure out a way to make money with it, or pass the new knowledge on to others, or both. It’s just in my DNA.
I like the fact that there’s no traffic on holidays, and things are quiet. Since no one’s in their office I can’t make any phone calls or be distracted by other stuff. I can putter around the office and get creative. I can write all day long without the phone ringing, and catch up on files that have been sitting on my desk for months.
But I did take some time off today and head to a BBQ where I really didn’t know a lot of people. Since I always have the curious brain turned on, I thought this would be a good time to test out some networking skills and see what happens. I decided to hone my listening skills, which is something most people need to improve on, myself included. Since I wasn’t there to impress anyone or plug a project or get a job, I simply asked questions and listened. I would seriously recommend doing this. By forcing yourself to focus on it you’ll realize how much you really do need to improve and how much you can learn if you take the time to listen to others. [Read more…] about Networking During the Holidays