Second Cup: Create small miracles

Look for ways to do little favors for people in your network

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to be in the business of creating small
miracles for people in your network. It's a great way

(00:25):
to keep your network strong and to use your influence
for good. Today's tip, like another one this week, comes
from Rachel Rogers' book We Should All Be Millionaires. Rogers
talks about ways that people from all sorts of backgrounds
can create serious wealth. So we all know that opportunities

(00:48):
come to people who are well networked. Most people also
know a fair number of people just by working at
various places over the years, or meeting people casually or whatever.
But unfortunately the reality is that these networks tend not
to be automatically strong. We meet people and then we
all forget about each other. So if you are looking

(01:12):
to up your networking game, Rogers recommends reconnecting with the
community you already have. Now. Of course, this might be
easier said than done, as Rogers says, we have every
excuse not to invest in our non familiar relationships. We

(01:33):
are busy, we are tired, we are netflixing. However, she says,
if you want to have meaningful relationships to call on
in both good times and bad. You are going to
have to reconnect and recommit to building those relationships, and
it doesn't need to take all your time. Rogers notes

(01:56):
that a great way to reconnect with old friends and
colleagues to communicate, as the saying goes, to get a friend,
be a friend. Rather than just reaching out to say hey,
thinking of you, reach out to say I mentioned you
on my podcast, I nominated you for an award, I
refer to client to you. Hope that's cool. I popped

(02:19):
something into the mail for you. Rogers says, be generous
and create small miracles for people and they'll become loyal
friends for life. So I like this mindset of small miracles.
Most of us have at least some ability to do
something of value for the people we know if we

(02:41):
put some thought into it and look for opportunities. So
be on the hunt. If you see that a former
colleague has written an article for an industry publication, share
it with your professional community and then let him know
that you did it. If a friend or professional acquaintance

(03:02):
is selling something you are reasonably interested in, like a
book or a short course, buy it and let the
person know you did. Everyone loves making a sale. If
that intriguing person you met at a conference mentions that
she has an Etsy store, buy presents for people there.

(03:23):
Think of people who might like to be introduced to
each other. If you've got an interesting meeting, you might
bring along a younger colleague. If it makes sense. If
someone is hosting an event, attend and bring another person
to guarantee that at least three people will be there. Now,

(03:44):
of course, there's nothing wrong with telling people that you
are thinking about them, but in general, it doesn't take
too much more time, an effort, or money to do
something that shows you really or thinking about them. What
goes around tends to come around, So get in the
habit of creating small miracles for people. A true network

(04:07):
is built on generosity, and knowing that you can be
generous can actually help you feel quite wealthy, and as
Rachel Rogers says, we should all be millionaires. This is
one way to feel like one. In the meantime. This
is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

(04:31):
most of our time. Thanks for listening to before breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, You can reach
me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

(04:55):
is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows.