28. Courageous Connections: Networking for Introverts in Retirement

Are you an introvert nearing retirement and looking forward to the end of the need to attend networking events? Think again! 

In this episode of 'Courageous Retirement,' host Vona Johnson challenges you to rethink networking as a critical tool for maintaining connections in retirement. Sharing her recent experiences and offering actionable advice, Vona explores how continuing to network can lead to a life filled with purpose, joy, and community during the Best Season. 

Learn how to use your faith and the Holy Spirit to guide you in making new, meaningful friendships. Don't miss out on these insightful tips and spiritual encouragement to enhance your retirement journey.

00:00 Introduction: Embracing Networking in Retirement
01:02 Personal Experience: Networking at a Christian Conference
01:53 The Importance of Networking in Retirement
03:55 Practical Tips for Networking
04:49 Overcoming Networking Challenges
05:37 Exploring Networking Opportunities
07:06 Authenticity in Building Connections
10:12 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Scripture: 
"Two are better than one. If either of them falls down, one can help the other one up."   Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10

Quotes from Vona:
"Think of networking as building your future support system. It's a system that you're going to need to get through some of the challenges that are coming in life. Don't wait until you need people in your life to start making new friends."

 "As much as I like being alone, I do not want to live my life alone."

Link to join ClubMore: https://ClubMore.Live 

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Thank you for stopping by today! Remember to Engage Your Faith and Live Your More as you reap the benefits of Courageous Retirement!

To watch the video, check out my YouTube Channel!

Learn more about the show, author Vona Johnson, and more at CourageousRetirement.com!

Schedule a free 15 minute Your Path to More call with Vona.

Episode Transcript

(00:05):
if you're an introvert lookingforward to retirement, one of
the things you may becelebrating is not having to go
to networking events anymore.
I know it can be uncomfortable.
It's almost up there with publicspeaking.
Introverts do not like to walkinto a room full of people and
start mingling, right?
But I wanna challenge that ideatoday.

(00:26):
I want to encourage you toreevaluate how you look at
networking.
We can call it something else ifyou want, but I challenge you to
continue to network well intoyour retirement years.
I hope you'll join me as I sharewhat that looks like.
Do you fear?
What lies beyond retirement?
What if it's a gateway to a lifefilled with purpose, meaning,

(00:48):
and adventure rather than anend?
Discover peace and fulfillmentas you boldly enter this new
chapter in CourageousRetirement, a Christian podcast.
I'm your host, author, and coachVona Johnson.
Let's get started.
Last week I had the opportunityto go to a Christian conference.
It's not built as a networkingevent, but anytime you're with a

(01:09):
group of people, you have theopportunity to network.
And I got to see some oldfriends and I got to make some
new friends and it was, it wasreally, really.
Nice.
Yes.
I was worn out and exhaustedfrom all of the talking and
mingling while I was there, andI got to go shut myself in my
room when I got home and, andrecharge my battery like we

(01:30):
introverts like to do.
But I'm so blessed that I went.
That following Monday, I was tobe the speaker at Toastmasters
and it just so happened that theproject that was coming up for
me, was Make Connections throughNetworking.
And I thought, how perfect isthat?
What, wonderful timing.
I'm gonna go ahead and talkabout networking.
And, check that Toastmastersproject off the list.

(01:53):
And as I was working on thepresentation, I realized how
important it really is that wecontinue to network.
You think about it, and as weget along in age, things start
to change.
You know, we have friends thatas they're retiring, they're
moving away to be with family.
Sometimes illness makes peoplebe more isolated than they were

(02:13):
when they were, healthier and,and still in the work world.
Of course, there's always thatchance that our friends, our
circle, will die.
And so we, we need tocontinually find those people
that bring us joy in life andhelp help us live life, in the
manner that God intends us tolive life.
I talk about how retirement isthe best season and I really

(02:35):
believe that it is, but we arenot meant to live our best
season alone, we are meant toshare and enjoy the, the things
that we can do in retirementwith those that we care about.
Connection is so vital to ourspiritual, emotional and
physical wellbeing.
God designed us for community,and networking is just one way

(02:58):
that we can continue thatcommunity and keep moving
forward in retirement.
If you've struggled withnetworking in the past,
honestly, this is where youwanna shift your thinking.
It's not walking in and findingout where your connections are
gonna bring you business andthings like that.
That was always really hard forme, and I truly shifted my
perspective a long time ago andjust looked at it as making

(03:20):
friends and new relationships.
Finding those people who havesimilar interests and you can
sit and just talk about thingsfor hours.
Sometimes it's fun things.
You know, like my earlierpodcast on geocaching, that
might be one of the things.
And also maybe similar interestsas far as our health challenges

(03:40):
or in like, in my situation,with parents with dementia.
I, really appreciate the friendsthat I have who are walking that
same path.
And we can talk about similarexperiences and encourage and
support one another along thatpath.
So where do you go to, network?
Where do you find these newfriends?
Well, the obvious one for thoseof us.

(04:02):
That our Christians is a church.
We find people that have similarvalues there and, and there are
always things going on in achurch setting that gives you an
opportunity to go and meetpeople.
It can be hard.
Just because it's church doesn'tmean it's easier.
When, you know there's a ladiesgroup or a men's group that's
inviting people, it's hard towalk into that room alone.

(04:23):
So what I encourage you to do iswhen there's an event and you
don't have anybody to go withyou.
If you have friends that are inthat congregation, pick up the
phone, shoot'em a text, and theninvite them to go with you.
But if you don't have somebodyto go with, you go anyway.
Go ahead and register and thenmake yourself do it when it's
time.
Because we're introverts, we'regonna wanna just cancel and say,

(04:45):
ah, I don't wanna do this.
I don't wanna go.
Do it.
Just go.
First of all, my best advice isto, as you're driving to the
event and as you walk up to the,the building and into the room,
be praying.
Ask the Holy Spirit to lead youto someone who may be needing a
friend or that maybe has similarinterests and could be a good

(05:06):
friend for you.
Then when you walk into thatroom, you know, look around, uh,
find somebody that you know thatyou can go engage in
conversation.
Or another thing that I reallylike to do is find that person
that's standing off on their ownor sitting at a table all alone.
I love to just go and say, oh,hey, do you mind if I sit here?

(05:27):
And then engage them inconversation.
'cause you know that if they'resitting there all by themselves,
they too are wishing they hadstayed home.
And so you already have that incommon.
Other places that you cannetwork, and maybe we should use
a different word, and otherplaces that you can find new
friends.
Are volunteer opportunities youcan go, do, you know the, like

(05:48):
we have a food bank here in ourcommunity, or you can serve a
community banquet.
One of the things that I didthis year was I did door hangers
for our right to life get outthe vote campaign and so I went
out and hung door hangers andmet people that way.
Of course, there's always bookclubs, hobby meetups, other
community classes that you cantake.

(06:11):
Uh, the local chamber ofcommerce often has events or
other service organizations haveevents that you can go and get
involved that way.
And then another idea thatsometimes I think we forget
about is there are so manyonline communities.
Um, so get involved and if youneed some ideas, I can point you
in some directions.

(06:31):
I am in a few of communitieswhere they just get together
regularly and talk about reallife stuff.
There are book clubs.
There's so many communities thatI'm involved with that have book
clubs, and you can join that orget involved with a Bible study
in your church, or start one.
If nobody's doing one thatyou're interested in.
Start a Bible study.

(06:51):
Talk to your pastor.
Find out how you can be theperson to initiate that and get
it going.
I know, I know it's a stretch,but remember, sometimes our true
purpose is just beyond ourcomfort zone, so I encourage you
to think of ways that you can bedoing that.
One of the things that I thinkwe have a tendency to do when we
are making new friends, meetingnew people is we try to be

(07:14):
guarded with what we talk aboutand not share things that might
be somewhat vulnerable for us.
I'm going to encourage you tothrow that idea away.
Be prepared to talk about thingsthat you're struggling with
Chances are someone else in thatgroup is, or they know someone
that is, and they might make aconnection for you.

(07:35):
The thing is, is if we put onthat facade, if we, we go into
that group, that setting,whatever it is with this cheery,
I'm all is well kind ofattitude.
But it's not really the case.
We, we give off the wrong vibe.
Not that a cheery attitudeshould never be the wrong vibe,

(07:56):
but if it's not who you are andyou're not being authentic, then
when you get comfortable withthat person and you take that
facade down, you may find thatyou don't have as much in common
as you thought you did becauseyou weren't being authentic.
So I just really encourage youto just be you, relax, have fun,
and find someone who has thosesimilar interests and even if

(08:19):
they don't have similarinterests, when you start
talking, try something new.
Like I'd mentioned before,geocaching, that's something I
really wanna do.
If there's someone listening andyou're in the area where I live,
let's go do it.
Reach out and let's find a way.
Another thing that I know thatpeople are doing is just
exercising, going for walks orwe have a, a lazy river at our
new facility in our community,and I know all kinds of people

(08:42):
that are walking at, you know,just getting out and getting
exercise and creating newfriendships that way.
The point is, if your feelinglike your friendship group is
dwindling, get out there.
Take that one small step thatyou need to, to get out there
and start meeting new people.
Think of networking as buildingyour future support system.

(09:05):
That's a system that you'regoing to need to get through
some of the challenges that arecoming in life.
Don't wait until you need peoplein your life to start making new
friends.
Start doing it now.
So just remember, you know,courage.
When we talk about courageousretirement, it doesn't always
mean boldness.
It doesn't always mean sharingyour faith story right at the

(09:26):
get go.
Sometimes it just means sayinghello to someone new and
starting up a conversation.
Maybe something as simple as theweather.
A verse that I encourage you tothink about is from Ecclesiastes

4 (09:39):
9-10,"Two are better than one.
If either of them falls down,one can help the other one up."
And we need community.
We are built for community.
And so I just really encourageyou to find those people that
you can encourage and supportand that will encourage and
support you as well.
I wanna challenge you to thinkof one person that you could

(10:00):
connect with this week.
Maybe it's an old friend youjust haven't communicated with
for a long time.
Reach out and see if they wannago for a walk or a drink, or
join a Bible study or whateverwith you.
Make that effort.
You know, another thing you cando and it's, it's not fully
fleshed out yet, but I havecreated ClubMore, and really
right now it's just mynewsletter, giving encouragement

(10:21):
and support through thiscourageous retirement process
and how to finish well.
So join that and I will besharing ideas on How to join
communities through that.
I will put the link in the theshow notes, so I encourage you
to do that.
You don't have to network likeyou did when you were back in
the business world, but find away that feels comfortable and

(10:42):
maybe a little bit of a stretch,but that is an easy way to step
into it for you and then just goand be yourself.
One of the things that I want toclose with is to remind you, I'm
truly an introvert.
You may not know that I cansometimes be that outgoing
introvert that I really do lovepeople, but when I need to
recharge my battery.
I need to go and be alone to dothat.

(11:04):
And that's how I know that I'man introvert.
One of the things that came outof my Toastmasters talk that I
didn't realize I was gonna sayuntil I said it, but it was
truly the Holy Spirit, and itreally felt profound to me is
that as much as I like beingalone, I do not want to live my
life alone.
And I don't think you do either.
So I'm gonna leave you withthat.

(11:27):
And I just want to thank you somuch for stopping by today.
It's always such a blessing tohave you here, and I just
encourage you to go engage yourfaith, use your faith to ask the
Holy Spirit to show you where togo to find those new friends.
And then just use the courage,all the courage that you have to

(11:48):
step into your courageousretirement.
Have a beautiful day.