I was reading a blog today from John C. Maxwell regarding the importance of relationships with people.  He was talking about people who may have a tendency to blame office politics or other problems for not being able to get ahead.  This made me reflect about people in general.  Several years ago, I was at a conference where the key message was that we are just people that are helping people.  A very simple approach. Sometimes, we may tend to disregard the relationships that we build with people and the impact they have in our lives.  I have found that those relationships are very profound.  Getting out and networking with people can help you build relationships that can help you build a stronger career or help your business to grow stronger.  I know this may sound trivial as many of us love meeting people and building those relationships.  At the same time there are many that do not value getting out to meet people and don’t build those relationships.  I know from experience.

While I have worked hard at my career growth and my education growth, I was not always the greatest at building those relationships and networking to help myself grow.  I have grown to understand that this is such an important part of growth for everyone in their work and in life in general.  My experience can be a great example of how people can turn themselves around and learn to take advantage of the relationships that they build to build stronger futures.  Through the relationships I have built, I have been able to find my real path as a leader and entrepreneur.  I was able to use the relationships to my advantage and built the courage to forge ahead with building a new business.

If you find yourself own the shy end in your work or keep yourself more closed off, but at the same time you want to still grow or get that promotion, you still can.  Getting to meet people and know people is important.  You can help yourself to get there but getting out of that comfort zone.  The relationships we build can help to define your future, but it starts with you.