Location made this event worth a peak. It was hosted by a new group and it was five minutes from my house. I love how this place is decorated and I’ve been here quite a few times.  The space however always seems empty.  I would put this on my list of places to go to read a good book. You can sit for hours undisturbed. It was the same with this event. However, I did like the host. He was very personable and took time to make me feel welcomed.  The welcomes stopped there.

The other attendees kind of had a low vibe going. There was no eye contact and not many people seemed friendly.  I immediately scanned the room and b-lined to my spot. Which basically meant I found a corner and blank stared at the other attendees.  I started to do my typical body scan. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. So I started to body scan other people. We have the ability to listen to and/or read the energy of other people in the room. It will seem as if your imagination is running wild and you are making up a story about a stranger. However know there is a lot of truth in what you intuition and imagination are providing to you.

I could tell the lady in front of me had some insecurities. The guy to my left seemed angry. A couple of people were chatting but it felt very inauthentic to me. I shifted my attention to the bar. A lady approached me she was upbeat but blunt about why she was there. She was looking for customers and steadfast on getting to the point. I decided to listen to her spill at least she was talking. When she got done the angry guy let us know that he thought this event sucked. It was a small group and he felt like he was wasting his time. He was beyond annoyed and said he was leaving.  I turned back to the bar and they both drifted off.

Hunger kept me in place so I ordered food. Ordering food also meant I would be stuck at this event for a while longer. A couple of people arrived and a few others departed. The few people I met had the same ‘I’m just here to get customers’ vibration. I received about four cards in total and expended absolutely no effort toward getting them. I can’t remember a name or face. I turned my attention inward and toward the other people at the bar.

What I learned

• Eat before you leave home that way you aren’t tied into a waiting game.
• I observed more of what not to do.  I didn’t like the “I’m just here for clients” vibe so I decided to spend more time focusing on my approach.
• It is also time for me to set some realistic goals and objectives to my networking plan. The host mentioned how he read books to learn how.  I believe shifting will create better results for me.

Peace and Blessings

Next week’s Networking Challenge is quickly approaching.  I wanted to set the parameters around what I consider to be a great networking event vs a mediocre one.  I tend to start off as an observer.  When I enter a room I am looking to see who looks most approachable.  The approachable person usually has a happy disposition and is already engaged in a conversation.  If the person is not engaged in conversation they at least smile or nod at your presence. If I walk into an event and everyone is cold or reserved my time will be limited at that particular event.

Beyond what I can see, I’m scanning the room for a feeling.  The subtleness of what surrounds me.  Everyone has had this feeling at least once, where you walk into a room and it just don’t feel right.  You can’t verbalize why it doesn’t feel right but ‘something’ tells you to leave or you feel uncomfortable enough to leave.  The ‘something’ is your inner voice or intuition.  It’s what you can’t see but naturally guides you if you listen.  The act of listening is what I call attunement.

Attunement requires you to check in with your body.  That can be done by a simple body scan.  A body scan is where you notice how your face feels, then you move on to your neck, shoulders, on and on, down to your feet. As you scan you might want to ask yourself a few questions.  Take the shoulders for example, we tend to hold tension in our shoulders so ask yourself the following questions.  Do your shoulders feel tight? Did the tightness take form once you entered the room? Is it ok for your to relax and enjoy the moment?  Our bodies will give us the clues.  Or you might notice that you naturally get uptight when you are around strangers so the awareness of how your body feels can make you relax.  The awareness alone can also help you resolve a fear or anixety that you no longer need.

Next do an emotion check.  Do you feel happy, sad, angry, etc? Does the event seem like it will be pleasurable or worth your time?  Do the people in the room look angry, sad or happy?  Does the audience seem engaged? There are times when the mood of the room can change your mood.  If you spend a few moments doing a body scan it will help you gauge the room.

After I check the pulse of the room I am ready to network.  It only takes me about ten minutes to make my assessment.  I also check the pulse throughout the event.  If the energy of the room shift then I can make a decision on what to do next.  Many things can create a shift including arrival of more attendees, someone makes an offensive comment, people start to get bored, temperate of the room gets uncomfortable or someone you felt connected to left the event.

Below is my list of top five characteristics of any event that need to be in place in order for me to have a successful experience.

• Warm and talkative host/hostess who consciously work to make attendees to feel welcomed and included. The host will usually greet you as soon as you walk in the door or at least make their way to you within the first thirty minutes. The person will do a quick introduction and ask for you to do the same.
• More than one host/hostess.  The additional hosts tend to be floaters who continuously break the ice and work the crowd pass any awkward pauses or transition between activities.
• Creative icebreakers that engage the audience. I love ice breakers that force you to have at least one intimate session with another attendee. Mastermind themed ice breakers are also very good.
• Interesting speaker with a relatable story.  Everyone has a story but not everyone is a good storyteller. I like to walk away knowing that I can keep pressing forward as a result of the speakers authenticity and transparency. I want to feel inspired by the speakers journey and words.
• Connection with other attendees.  I am more focused on quality so if I make one strong connection then it was time well spent. Usually there is a common theme or bond to link you with the person. You can see the person as someone you wouldn’t mind being friends with in real life. You exchange information and/or agree to contact each other outside of the event.

Networking is a great opportunity to meet new people and make future business connections.  Not all experiences will be positive but the hope is that the great ones outweigh the mediocre ones.  Join me next week as I detail my experiences in the land of networking for the attuned.

Peace and Blessing

It is assumed introverts are shy. I am not shy just reserved. I am an observer of people, their habits, facial expressions, tone of voice and conversations.  I also like to gauge the energy of the room.  Once I have a feel for who and what I am surrounded by I can estimate how long I’ll stick around. Something’s aren’t worth your energy and effort.

As an entrepreneur I know my goal should be to meet the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time. However, I strive to make meaningful connections that will last beyond a day. I want to like the clients and peers that I work with. The energy has to be right.

Energy can determine whether you have a good or bad interaction.  Energy is the subtle layer that surrounds the physical body. It is sometimes called the aura.  Energy points within the aura are known as chakras.  Our aura and chakras are impacted by our thoughts, experiences and actions.  The energetic bodies determine our vibration (vibe). I have been aware of auras, chakras and subtle energy for at least five years.  I allow my senses to guide me in my interactions with others.

Most people unknowingly rely on their internal reader while others are completely oblivious to it. The attuned networker knows what is happening and why. When I walk in the room I can sense an upbeat and open crowd but I can also sense a staleness and low energy room as well.  We attract what we are. We vibrate with others on our same wavelength. I want to do business with positive, supportive and creative individuals. I thrive when I feel supported and surrounded by good people. I return to people and places that are positive and upbeat. Your energy is a natural extension of who you are so how you use it or who you use it on is important.  At networking events within five minutes I can tell if the person I’m speaking with is authentic and transparent. I can tell if they are creative and open-minded. These people are a reflection of me and therefore make the networking experience worthwhile.  Therefore I do not waste a lot of energy in places with people who leave a low energy impression.

Here are four tips for the attuned networker

Most people don’t know I am up by 5 am every morning.  That is the time I get my best work done especially as I transition from employee to employer.  This morning was different.  I was wide awoke and staring in the darkness at 3:32.  I always check my clock because numbers mean something to me spiritually.  I know from memory that 3:33 relates to Ascended Masters. Ascended Masters are Beings that protect and guide us. Even though I was a minute off I knew there was a good reason for my insomnia.

I heard the phrase “what is your end goal”.  I am already a business owner so you would think I knew off-hand.  In truth I did not.  I thought about the goals I have written.  My written goals are categorized by timing (i.e. three month, six month and one year).  I figured I’d play the rest by ear and see where I was being lead spiritually.  This was the first time I was asked what was my end goal.  I got excited to be honest because the question signifies that I am at least on track with my beginning goals.  It was now time to look further and put it out into the universe.  I laid in silence for a while.

In the silence an unrelated idea came to mind.  Yesterday my spiritual sister reminded me that she was still waiting on a ‘how to start a business checklist’ I had promised her weeks ago.  I wasn’t dragging my feet on the task it just keep slipping my mind.  I initially told her there would be three items on the list.  In the silence I typed up nineteen in my electronic notebook.  I was listening to my spirit and replaying everything I had personally done to get to this point.  I immediately jumped up when I got to nineteen.  It was time for me to deliver my end goals.  It was time for me to put into universe where I wanted to be in the next 2-10 years.  It turns out my end goal is to mentor and lead others in connecting the spirituality of their experiences with their purpose and life path.  All of my pieces started coming together.  I immediately got five new ideas back to back.  Ideas were literally pouring out of my head and they all related to everything I have done up to this point.  I never did get back to sleep but waking up at 3:32 was well worth it.  I will be sharing those five ideas in the coming weeks so stay tuned. 9 Days and Counting….

Peace and Blessings