Whether you are a business owner, a wanna-be entrepreneur, or work for someone else, you need to be out there. But, where is “there?”

Networking is an essential activity for growing your business and your career. Increasing your visibility will help you stay viable in today’s business climate. To get you started and to motivate you to keep networking, I am posting a 2-part article by Jill Lublin, author of the new book, Get Noticed…Get Referrals. Jill is founder of GoodNews Media, Inc., a company specializing in positive news. How cool is that?

Where to - GET NOTICED!

Part I

In whatever you do, take that first, essential step; dive into the water. You may have developed the ideal solution for a major problem or invented a product that fills a critical void, but what good are they if you never implement your plans. Don’t waste your time sitting around, thinking, planning, and tinkering because you will never get you business off the ground. Instead, get started, do something, make a move. Put yourself out there and see where you land. Get wet; soaking wet.

Many people have little or no business experience. They have never taken business courses and don’t understand business terms. Business scares them; its alien territory, a place where they feel they don’t belong. When it comes to business, they don’t know what to do, where to turn, or who to ask for help. They are completely lost. They want to go into business, but fear that they will be devoured. Before long, the fire than fueled their passion sputters and dies.

You can’t succeed without trying. Venturing out, taking chances, is the only way to learn and to succeed. Many people simply won’t try because they are afraid to fail. They don’t try because it’s easier for their fragile psyches to accept that they didn’t try, than to admit that they tried and failed. They would rather not try than to try and not succeed.

Get into the game

To me, standing around, spinning my wheels and watching others pass me by is not living life; it’s missing life. It’s staying on the sidelines and watching others play the game.

I love the game; the excitement, learning; meeting and building relationships with new and different people. People fascinate me and their stories amaze me. Frequently I want to pinch myself because I work with and meet an astonishing array of outstanding people who constantly contribute wonders to my life.

I prefer to be active, busy, and expose myself to stimulating, new people and experiences. The exposure has introduced me to amazing opportunities, remarkable individuals, and interests that have changed my life. They have also introduced me to talents, parts of myself, which I never knew I possessed. They’ve enabled me to continue to grow and enjoy a rich, productive life.

Occasionally, we all get stuck. At one time, most of us have had a daunting paper to write and waited until the last, possible moment. We did everything we could to avoid the task until out only choice was to start writing or flunk. Finally, in total fear, we sat down to write. The first few words were agony. They may have even drawn blood. The initial paragraph had the grace of an armored tank and moved just as fast. But then we found the rhythm, words broke loose, and sentences formed. Ideas emerged, the momentum grew, and we got into a flow. Suddenly, we were immersed in our writing, lost in our thoughts and were expressing them clearly, directly, and logically — to our utter surprise.

How many people do you know who have the careers they initially planned or began? I know very few. Years ago, people chose a business or career and stayed in it for life. Today, that’s not the norm. People develop new interests, evolve, and change careers. Some move from career to career and then back again. And experts predict that this trend will increase.

The most interesting and successful individuals I know have evolved from vastly different careers than those they began. Somewhere in their trajectory, they came across an interesting subject, person, insight, experience, or opportunity. Their contacts, curiosity, or knowledge carried them into the unknown where they met with kindred spirits who helped them along the way.

I went to school to study psychology and never thought about publicity. Before Jay Conrad Levinson became the world’s largest selling business writer, he had a career in advertising. Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi was a housewife who didn’t run for public office until her children were grown.

Come back next week to read Part II of this article.

For more information about Jill Lublin, author of Get Noticed… Get Referrals: Build Your Client Base and Your Business by Making a Name for Yourself (touring July 7 - August 1), visit the Virtual Blog Tour. We invite you to visit various blog tour stops throughout the month to learn more about Get Noticed… Get Referrals.