Instigator Blog

People continue to submit great lessons learned for the group writing project, where we ask (and answer!) the question, “What Did You Learn in 2006?”

Here’s some of the latest submissions:

• Char discovered the power of the blogging community. She has a great example of WordPress guru Lorelle finding her (as opposed to Char knowing about Lorelle) when Char had a WordPress issue and posted about it on her blog. People are out there, looking, willing to help. It’s a great lesson for the more cynical among us.
• Andrew learned that the perfect job will find you. He’s got some great advice, “Work hard, but have trust too.” Whether that trust is in the divine, yourself, something else or a combination thereof, having a little faith doesn’t hurt.
• Curly is going through “entrepreneurship pains” (You’re not alone!), and learning a ton while she teaches herself entrepreneurship. As she says, “If an idea flames out, make flambe.” Her stress, confusion and learning curve are nothing new. You’ll most likely find yourself nodding when you read what she’s learned, and you’ll be cheering her on.
• Vernon Lun has his own amazing lessons learned as a new entrepreneur starting TheGoodBlogs. Vernon’s focus is on how to build communities, but his advice applies to any entrepreneur starting a business.
• Erica Douglas sums up what she’s learned very nicely with 10 Things I Learned This Year. I think #1 on her list is about as clear and poignant as you can get, “Childbirth will happen when the baby is ready, not when you are ready.”

Join the What I Learned in 2006 Group Writing Project!

1. Write a post on your blog about what you learned in 2006.
2. Link back to Instigator Blog and email me.
3. You could win some great prizes.
4. And I’ll donate $5 to charity for every post you write.

Thank you to everyone who has participated so far!

You just need to go look.

And you don’t even have to lift any heavy rocks.

The world is rife with opportunity.

Opportunities to:

• start new businesses
• help others
• build communities
• get out of your comfort zone
• create challenges for yourself
• succeed

2005 was my “Year of Living Under a Rock.”

2006 was my “Year of Moving the Damn Rock Out of the Way.”

I learned that there are tons of opportunities out there and they’re easy to find.

1. Start blogging and once you have keep learning how to do it better. Remember: online friends are real. Take those online relationships seriously; grow them into personal and professional relationships.
2. Get out there and meet people face-to-face.
3. Be comfortable in your own skin and with your own abilities. You rock at something, don’t be afraid to tell people what it is.
4. Know what you want. Tell people what you want. Tell people how you can help them.
5. Follow up, stay friendly and have fun.

Those are the steps to opportunity-nirvana.

The biggest thing holding people back is that they’re not out there looking for opportunities. They’re not looking for ways to succeed.

Finding opportunities is easy. You just have to go look.

This is part of the What Have You Learned Group Writing Project. You can participate as well! Write a post about what you’ve learned in 2006, link it back to Instigator Blog and tell me about it.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing via RSS to this blog’s feed. Thank you.

I’ve also submitted this post to Darren Rowse’s group writing project about reviews (of the past) and predictions (for the future.)

The results are coming in already. People are participating in the What I Learned in 2006 Group Writing Project. I want to make sure I highlight every post properly, so here’s an early batch of contributors:

• David Maister tells us he needs to stop changing his mind. David’s right on the money. It’s easy to get distracted and unfocused with too many ideas and things going on at once. Being able to filter ideas, stay focused, and “freeze the design” are essential to success.
• Sarah K. opens up about her experience giving birth to a baby girl. Her daughter was born on December 25, 2005 (happy birthday!) and Sarah’s had a year chock full of powerful, emotional experiences.
• Andrew Garrett gives us the rundown of what he learned in 2006. From the positive to the negative, Andrew covers the gamut of experiences, many of which I know others have dealt with. Business relationships, personal relationships, internal discovery…
• Karen Wallace takes the list approach as well, running through 30 things she learned in 2006 What a list! She does an awesome job at getting to the heart of this project - her list is overflowing with personal insight, passion and inspiration.
• Heidi Miller has a list of 10 things she’s learned this year. She’s got a great list. For entrepreneurs/business folk there are some gems in there that you can instantly learn from (and Heidi’s done all the hard work for you!) Check out #3, #6 and #10.

This is the first set of posts for the group writing project. More are on the way!

You can participate too! Write a post about what you learned in 2006. Link back here. I’ll donate $5 to charity and you could win great prizes.

Please subscribe to Instigator Blog’s RSS feed for free updates. Or subscribe via email.

December 18th, 2006
4 Comments

This is something I’ve only learned recently, but it’s as important as anything I’ve learned in years.

You never know who you’ll meet.

Don’t just think “networking.” Often, networking implies you’re going to a gathering with a specific goal in mind; to meet someone in particular, or to sell something. Many people connect “networking” with sleazy, sales-driven shmooze-fests. That element exists in networking, no question. But it can be so much more.

It reminds me of what people say about dating…“I wasn’t looking for anyone, and then I met so-and-so.” (Presumably when people say that, they know the name of the person they’ve met. *chuckle*)

The key is: I wasn’t looking for anyone.

In the last few months I haven’t been looking for anyone in particular. I’ve just been out there a lot more than I have in the past. No expectations. No specific goal except to meet more people. And have I ever.

The result is better contacts. More interesting contacts. More valuable contacts.

Expectations can be like shackles.

Go into a gathering of people with too many strong expectations and there’s a chance you’ll come out with bubkus. Expectations can be like blinders; they don’t let you see everything that’s around you.

This is my first post in the What I Learned in 2006 Group Writing Project. You can participate too! Write a post (or more) on your blog about what you learned in 2006. Link back here. I’ll donate $5 to charity and you could win some great prizes.

1. Talk to someone more successful than yourself
2. Turn the music up really loud
3. Take a walk
4. Cry
5. Meditate
6. Read a great book
7. Turn off the lights
8. Tell someone about your killer idea
9. Clean your desk
10. Inspire someone else