When You Reach…

For something you want,

you might actually get it.

For someone you love,

they might hold you.

For someone in need,

you might help them.

For someone you need,

they might help you.

For something more,

it might be enough.

For something less,

it might fall short.

For something different,

different will seek you out.

For things unknown,

you might grab something great.

Or possibly something terrible.

Or a lesson you didn’t know you needed.

Or all of the above.

When you reach high enough,

there will always be something,

or someone to grasp.

But you have to be brave enough

to reach.

What are you reaching for right now? 

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Preparing for Success

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this week about success, and how we reach that point where we feel successful.  (Also, there’s a difference between feeling successful and being successful, but that’s another post entirely.)

Say we have a goal in mind. And it’s a tough one that will require a lot of hard work and dedication. And sometimes your goal requires extra efforts that don’t really seem to have a purpose other than that it feels like something you should be doing.

So we do these things, probably wondering why we try so hard, and hoping that someday we’ll understand the purpose behind all our efforts. Hoping that someday, everything we’ve worked for will pay off. We do it to stretch ourselves farther, to widen our boundaries, to make our personal selves better.

And then…

Something comes up. Success falls on your head (with a little help from effort, obviously). And suddenly you see the purpose of all the other things you didn’t know would come back to you. Because, as James Owen once said in a keynote address, our choices are cumulative.

More and more lately, I’m seeing people gain the payoffs for their extra-hard work. And all that unnecessary stuff? Eventually it does become relevant. People remember. Training becomes useful. And even when the brass ring of success moves, you still find a way to reach it.

All you have to do is stretch yourself a little further. 

How are you stretching this week?

Actually, it IS Personal

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been given a lot of reasons to reflect on personal connections and how important they can be to my career. Or anyone’s career, no matter what they do. In fact, connecting with people can potentially have an enormous impact on our personal lives as well.

Here’s the thing. When someone knows you, remembers having a conversation with you—however brief—you become a person rather than a random face in a crowd. And believe it or not, it’s a lot easier to think compassionate, fair, happy thoughts about a person you’ve actually met, as opposed to a random face you’ve never seen.

Easier to think good things, and harder to think bad ones.

Easier to respond positively rather than negatively.

Easier to understand that person, well, personally.

For instance. Say you’re querying agents (or editors or publishers), and somewhere along the way, you’ve met one. Spent a little time talking to that person. Made a connection with something the two of you have in common, or even just had a good discussion about business. You see them as a human being, and they see you in the same light. Then, when you send that person your query, they think, “Hey, I remember her.” And even if they must ultimately reject you, they’re far more likely to do so with a personalized note, maybe some advice, and perhaps a recommendation that you submit to XYZ who might be a better fit.

This can potentially extend your reach to other networks, other avenues, other possibilities. All because you took the time to talk to that one person when you had the opportunity.

The same thing can happen in any situation. Even if nothing huge ever comes from those connections, our lives will most definitely be richer for them.

Think about it. What connections have you made that have made your life (professional or personal) fuller?