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5 Things To Remember When Reaching Out To Your Network

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Have you ever wanted something, but weren’t been sure about how exactly to get it? Sure you have, everyone has, whether it was getting to the cookie jar when you were a little kid or starting that new business. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is ask. Ask for help, guidance, support, funding — whatever it is you want, don’t be afraid to ask.

It all comes down to how you ask for whatever it is that you want. In December of 2015 I found out that billionaire serial entrepreneur Nik Halik was hosting an exclusive mastermind session on the remote island of Vanuatu. I wanted to be a part of that experience, so I did the most logical thing — I asked. However, there’s a bit more to it than just asking; many times you can’t just ask outright for what you want, particularly if it’s going to require some amount of effort from the party you’re asking. That will be seen as off-putting at best and rude at worst.

So maybe you know what you want, and you’re going to have to ask for something in order to get it, whether it’s the support of your friends, funding from investors, or an invitation to a party. This article will dish the secrets of how you can ask in a way that’s most likely to open that door for you — and maybe even a few others you didn’t realize were there!

Here are 5 tips that will help you when reaching out:

1. Make your message or story stick out

If you’re going to be asking for something, you need to have your story down. You need to be able to present who you are, what you want, and why you’re asking that specific person or organization for it. This is adaptable depending on who you’re asking and what you’re asking them for, of course.

If all you want is support from your friends and family for that new diet or exercise regime, then you won’t need to be so formal. However, if you’re launching that new business and need funding, your potential investors are going to want to know about the person behind the ask.

“Certainly all historical experience confirms the truth- that man would not have attained the possible unless time and again he had reached out for the impossible.” – Max Weber

2. Find a way to bring value whenever possible

Everything in life is give and take. If you’re asking someone to give something to you, you should be able to tell that person why it benefits them as well. Take a job application for example – if you want to get your dream job, you’re going to have to apply, which is just a very formal way of asking for it.

From your resume to your interview, you’re going to have to make it clear that hiring you isn’t just about your dreams and what you want, but that you will bring value to the organization in a manner that it would otherwise lack. Of course sometimes what you’re asking for really will just be a one-way transaction, but you may find surprising ways of making someone’s generosity pay off for them!

 

3. Know who you’re contacting

When you are reaching out to people, especially through an avenue such as email, you need to be able to customize your message. Make sure it fits with their values and beliefs. This means doing your homework and getting to know the person you are reaching out to.

Make sure your message is tailored, specifically to them. If they think you are sending the same type of message to every person you come in contact with, they likely won’t give you the time of day.

“I believe that we were meant to live as social creatures, to reach out and bless each other’s lives.” – Richard Paul Evans

4. Be authentic

If you are not authentic, people will see right through you. You need to be honest and authentic. People who are in power to open doors and give favors have likely seen it all before. They know the difference between someone who is authentic and someone who is being fake to get ahead.

This is just another part of crafting your story; you need to come off as sincere. Just be yourself and be forthcoming about what you want. Dishonesty can really only have negative repercussions here, because even if you do get what you want, there’s always the chance that it could come back to bite you in the future, which is simply not worth the risk.

 

5. Have a call to action

This is just a fancy way of dressing up your “ask.” This is a polite nudge for the party you’re addressing to grant you what you want. In your cover letter for a job, you would end by saying that you look forward to hearing from the hiring manager. That’s a clear sign that you’re asking for a response.

The key with a call to action is that it has to just be a nudge, you can’t say “so please give me X.” Unless you’re dealing with close friends or family, that’s the quickest way to get shut down. Rather, you politely suggest the outcome you would like — “I look forward to speaking with you about how I might be able to accompany you on your trip” — and let the ball rest thoroughly in their court.

“Do not fear mistakes.You will know failure. Continue to reach out.” – Benjamin Franklin

These guidelines can be applied to any sort of request, whether it’s for an invitation to an exclusive mastermind, funding for your next big project, or simply support on a commitment like exercising or eating healthy. Many people are afraid to ask because of the possibility of rejection, but the doors you can open just by asking for something might also surprise you.

Who are you going to reach out to? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

Erik Wilson is a serial entrepreneur who is involved with many philanthropic endeavors and is continually devoted to making the world a more positive place. He is the founder and CEO of Pozify, a social networking app devoted to spreading positivity across the web.

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Success Advice

How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

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Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success (1)
Image Credit: Midjourney

Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

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How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

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Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be. 

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time. 

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.

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Success Advice

Here’s a Young Man’s Antidote for the Uncertainty of the Modern World

Why do a lot of young guys lack confidence in today’s world? 

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We all have been told that confidence is a key factor in achieving success and happiness in life. But what is it exactly? (more…)

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Success Advice

Toxic Leadership: 5 Ways to Identify a Bad Leader

if you have a leader who displays any of the toxic traits, it’s time to move on to greener pastures.

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Image Credit: Midjourney

Let’s be honest, we’ve all crossed paths with a toxic leader in our careers at some point. Unfortunately, while some toxic leaders don’t even bother to hide their behaviour, some know very well how to conceal their true selves behind a strong-built facade. The latter is the most dangerous of the two. (more…)

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