Lately, I feel like a box that’s overstuffed with everything. Ideas, thoughts, approaches. All the books, blogs, podcasts, and training I’ve consumed. Plus, all I’ve learned, working. It’s time to empty out.
I’ve been removing stuff from my shelves, drawers, files, and closets. Ahh, what a relief! Realizing along with papers, projects, and physical stuff, I need to let go of a lot of stuff in my head. That I’m holding on to for some reason or another.
To make room for what’s inside me to grow and become something, I’ll park some ideas in my blog. Maybe it will be useful there!
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Back in 2009, our Totally Games business wasn’t doing so well. We let go of our staff and moved on.
It wasn’t as easy as that might sound. It was terrible.
To offset the pain and shame of it, I threw myself into taking coaching and training courses. I’d already done Dale Carnegie in 1986, and Tony Robbins in 2000. Then TAB (The Alternative Board) for Totally Games for 3 years. And other personal development stuff, including all kinds of yoga. I even worked for awhile on a PhD in “psychoneurology.” I threw myself into one entrepreneurship course after another, like Marie Forleo’s B-School the year it came out, and Bill Baren’s Big Shift program. (That’s 2 of like 30.)
I think it was the combination of me loving to learn, plus me not trusting what creatively was inside me. I suppose it was easier for me to throw money at a course or program and get on a guided path, rather than try things out my own way like I did when I was a little kid.
As a kid, I didn’t think about whether it was going to succeed or not… then the awareness came about not making a fool of myself and experimentation became too risky …
Now it’s back to kid style for me, many years and courses later. Try stuff out, see if it works!
One of the best things I’ve tried has been BNI (Business Networking International). I remember visiting BNI in the 2000’s when our game company was in business. I didn’t like it at all! Maybe because of my type of work, or maybe it was that particular group. I wasn’t interested!
Since being on my own as a business consultant, BNI has been a good place for me to work out my ideas and build my business. By really getting to know individual members, I’ve developed colleagues and partners in ways I didn’t anticipate. They’ve provided points of view I didn’t expect, which has helped me make decisions I wouldn’t have known to make. I’ve been able to serve them and the people they’ve referred to me, based on personal reputation and credibility. This has been a tremendous growth process!
BNI isn’t for everyone, but in my opinion, networking is. BNI teaches a really good form of networking that’s been good for me for the past several years.
I also see great networking in other places too, like Joe Polish’s Genius Network. I appreciate what Joe shares, and what Dan Sullivan shares too, for growing business. So much good material!
Awhile back, I was given a copy of Harvey’s book “Network Builder.” It’s a good one for opening up ideas about how to build great business relationships. It’s one of those little books filled with big ideas (89 pages of actionable ideas).
In a nutshell, I’d say networking with people, where I’ve developed the know/like/trust factor, has been a game changer for me in getting past the limits I’ve unwittingly set for myself.
What’s one thing you’ve found helpful for getting past your own self-limits?