After a recent post in our community, I thought I’d share what we’ve learned about becoming a magnet for business instead of something static, stale, or even abrasive.
"Hi, friends! I have started to realize that my energy as a business owner and as a person is driving away a lot of business for me and is hurting relationships in my personal life. Do you have any resources on becoming a magnetic leader, creating magnetic environments, etc.? Becca Berg, you guys have an extremely magnetic brand. Are there a couple of things you guys are doing to create community and connect with people?"
—Mike Styer (known at Dubsado as "The GIF King”)
We often blame communal distance on external forces. But let’s indulge the possibility that you are choosing to push people away. Why would you do that? Why are you pushing people away?
It's about to get real.
The answer might boil down to self-hate. Does that sound ridiculous? Maybe it doesn't. Maybe you're thinking, Holy crap, Jake’s calling me out for hating myself. The fact is, no one is immune to this.
Maybe you don't believe you are worth your clients’ attention. Sometimes it’s true. Maybe you’re trying to get into an industry you know nothing about. You might need to go back to school and learn more.
They say ignorance is bliss. It's the notion that, if you're not as smart, you have more fun. And there's at least some truth to that, because you can think too much. You become focused on the success or failure of interactions instead of being in the moment and enjoying someone’s company. Or maybe you're not present at all, thinking about whether you fed the dog, whether you sent that email. Maybe you want to end the conversation—you're tired, hungry, or just don't like this person—and you end up acting rude.
None of this matters in the moment, so just play dumb. And by that I mean let go of this silly notion that you can outsmart everything, everyone, and every situation. Similarly, you may have to let go of your dislikes. Both can just cause headaches.
Letting go of tensions inside you is going to be your first step towards building a deeper relationship with friends and family, potential leads, and existing clients as well. After all, pretty much everything in business is relationships. You might as well start having fun in that process.
Let go. Have fun. The rest will fall into place.
