Last week, I mentioned that absence was one of the 7 deadly sins of networking. Now I’m going to dive into the power of presence and why it plays such an important role in building a fan base, a future, and the success you desire.
Nature Abhors a Vacuum
If you don’t show up, someone else will. They won’t be as good as you are at what you do. They won’t have the same knowledge or skills or abilities you do, but they will show up. And they will get the opportunities that were meant for you. However, when you are present, you will be able to demonstrate your knowledge, share your skills, and show your abilities to the people around you. You will be able to prove just how good you are at what you do. And nobody else will be able to compare.
Nobody Benefits from Your Absence
You can’t benefit from a network if you never show up to it. Nobody else can benefit from your skills, talents, and abilities if you don’t show up, either. And worse, the world can’t benefit from the amazing synergy that happens when you combine forces with other talented individuals to put together something incredible, beautiful, and stunning.
Absence: Another Word for Missed Opportunity
You will never know what was waiting for you if you don’t show up. Your absence, as I stated earlier, means the opportunity goes to someone else. Every time you don’t show up, you’re sending a signal that you don’t care about those opportunities, that you don’t want them. That may not be the intention, but it is what you’re telling the universe. And the universe is a mighty good listener.
Don’t Let Them Forget You
The longer you stay away from networking groups or social engagements, the more likely people are to forget who you are and what you can do. You’ll have to work hard to reintroduce yourself and to show what you can do. Don’t let the work you’ve done to build your connections go to waste. Show up, speak up, and make your presence known.
Contribute Something
You may tell yourself it doesn’t matter whether you show up or not, nobody’s paying attention anyway. But I guarantee if they aren’t paying attention it’s because you aren’t fully showing up. It matters that you show up. It matters that you are fully present, ready to share, ready to reach out to others, and ready to offer your best stuff.
Be Part of the Decision Making
When you show up, you get to voice your opinion. You get to be part of shaping and forming the direction of the network you belong to. Opportunities for leadership open up and you’ll get the chance to make your visions a reality by eliciting the support and contributions of others. But that can only happen when you show up.
You Are Irreplaceable
You may tell yourself that you don’t matter. That what you do doesn’t matter. But that’s a lie. Everything you do matters. You matter. You aren’t a nobody. You are a very important somebody with a lot to offer the world. You have unique experiences and insights that NOBODY else in the world can offer because nobody has been through what you’ve been through and nobody else has your unique perspective to offer. Stop making excuses and start showing up. That’s the only way you’re going to find out just how much the world needs you.
Are You Interested in a Retreat?
In the last two posts, I’ve talked about setting up a writer’s retreat so you can come together, get to know your fellow writers in person, practice your networking skills, and get some writing done so you can start the New Year on a high note. We could hold it in snowy Denver, sunny Dallas, or…well, wherever you happen to be. For me to organize the retreat, though, I’m going to need a few things from you.
- I need you to give me a yes.
- I need you to tell me dates you would prefer for the retreat to be held.
- I need you to let me know WHERE you would prefer for the retreat to be held (give me 3 cities in order of preference).
- I need you to let me know if you either would be willing to do this or know someone/somewhere that would be willing to let us use their facilities to hold this retreat so I don’t have to charge you an arm and a leg to host it.
- I need you to let me know what you want to see in this retreat.
If you are interested, either comment below with the information I requested, give me a shoutout in our free Facebook group, or email me at brandy at 40daywriter dot com. Thanks 🙂