Relationships are important

[James]

As humans we need and desire to be surrounded by other people. 

We are naturally social beings. 

I am an introvert and I quickly discovered that I had trouble meeting new people. 

I knew that I had to meet more people. I needed more connections in my network to be able to add more value to other peoples lives. Connecting people together provides many benefits although they may not always be immediate. 

Much like branding and keeping your brand top of mind with your target audience you need to do the same thing with the people in your life. 

Like everything else if you do not use it you lose it. If you go to long without making contact with someone in your network you will slowly start to fade in their memory. You will no longer be top of mind. 

I fixed this problem by tackling my personal life with business processes. I loaded all my personal connections into a CRM (spreadsheet since its my personal life) and made sure to make contact on a consistent basis. I made sure to get the important dates such as birthdays, anniversaries, any major accomplishment so that I could celebrate things that are important to them at the right time. 

Just like marketing getting the right message out at the right time. 

Over time more doors have unlocked for me and will continue to do so. 

I have also found a way to constantly meet new people by volunteering my time with organizations. It has been a great time and I have got to meet so many great people and get exposure to new opportunities just because I show up. 

So once you meet someone don't just give them a fist bump and exchange names. Grab some contact information and keep getting to know the person. You never know when they may know someone that needs your value or vice a versa. 

How do you make sure you are staying in touch with your circles? 

[Stacey]

I am the same way, I have trouble meeting people and opening up but once I do, I love spending time with people. I am just not a big "social" person on a larger scale. I prefer to be in very small groups. I was a lot more easy-going and social when I was younger so I do need to work on this more. Since COVID, I have lost touch with some friends and family. I have to work on fixing that this summer.

[Sophia]

I only ever had a handful of close friends and I liked it like that but since the lockdowns and everything, it has been hard to stay in touch. Thankfully things are improving and I look forward to spending more time with my friends this summer. I used to rely on Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch but the toxic nature of those platforms added to my anxiety so I had to deactivate my accounts on both. 

[Simone R]

Well said. And that is true, no wo(man) is an island. We need each other in order to thrive. We are social beings that needs compassion, empathy and simply association with others. We are defined by our close circles. What i do to keep tabs with my circles is just constant communication. Wish them luck, birthdays etc. That helps keep you in the mind of those that matter most.