Greg Petri's Blog

If you will acknowledge the good, you will see the good, the good in all people, in all situations, in all circumstance.  Train yourself to find the good, to be the good, to be an example of what a human being can become, for it's our potential as an enlightening species.        

Why are their movies made of older people, who get cantankerous, who grow cynical and crotchety?  Why is it that life can make a person more harsh and cold and critical of what is going, as (in their minds) the government, relatives, the state of the union, and their perceived world gets worse and worse the older you get, the more you know, the more you realize the disconnect between what people say and do…and you are the one, the person with opened eyes who can see everyone's faults.   Yes you, can clearly see how screwed up people, governments, countries, ideologies really are, because now, you, are so wise and filled with horse sense, and you can see clearly now and know what really is going on and you can point out a flaw from a mile away.

Is this really the way to live, to become the critic, to raise the ire of all whom you meet? 

Norman Vincent Peal, was quoted as saying, "Look for the good."  And if you do this in all your relationships, in your dealings with others, if you use that critical and examining mind, not for out there, but for in here, for where you are, for seeing your own faults, and problems, and then take relentless personal responsibility to make the changes you need, then you will light upon a truth that can set you free.

"No one ever erected a statue to a critic."  "A critic is legless man teaching running."  Train your mind to see the magical parts of life, the options and opportunities to open up yourself to the pervading mystery, to see beauty in all things and all places 

Today, be a person of love and caring and realize and become and instigate change for the good.  Add your peace, your higher consciousness, your most acute and crystal clear truths that uplift you, and make you the superior person, the greatness that has had a chance to walk upon this earth.

The only person you have control over is yourself, so become the best you can be.  You be the light, the encouragement, the inspiration that many have forgotten, fallen away from, and take a single idea, a defined moment and turn it into grandeur.  The other day I organized a trip to climb one of Colorado's fourteeners.  A woman said to me, so I have to get up at 3:15a in the morning, drive two hours, climb a mountain and drive back home…I am not too excited to do this.

She missed the point.  It was incredibly magical to wake up hours before dawn, then to drive through the fading dark, watch the new sunrise, and to hit the trailhead by 6:15a.  Then to walk up and up through the beautiful forests, to see deer, to come across wild mountain goats so close you could nearly touch them, to go up and up and test your endurance, push your legs and stamina to persist, to keep pushing on, and to finally ascend and be over 14,000 feet by 9:30a, and be able to see hundreds and hundreds of miles in every directions you could turn.  I could see Pike's Peak which had to be at least 200 miles in the south.

Enjoy, relish, take a step into your greatness, encourage others that all is possible, why?  Why not?  Do not be the cynical and critical and cantankerous old people who have convinced themselves how messed up everything is.  Be the light, the smile, the sunshine in the rain, the portent moments in an ensuing storm.  Do this, strive for this and you will embrace and discover and capture a spiritual nature of life that most miss as they are complaining their way through.

Life is an adventure.   Be open to the highways up ahead, the twists and turns and new discoveries and serendipity moments that magically appear to a mind that is unfettered and free to see all the way to eternity.

 3 Secrets to Networking Success

Secret #1

Be likable. Be friendly. Be polite. Be kind. Go out of your way to help and serve. Do more than people expect. Genuinely care about other people. If you can do this with sincerity, with heart, then you will be on your way to being a powerful networking expert. At the same time, be mindful not to let people who are going nowhere, who have no motivation or sense of urgency take up a lot of your time. This is a very fine line to walk and a tactful balancing act which you need to perfect.

Secret # 2

Improve your communication. How you communicate with others is vital. Are you articulate? Are you interesting? Do you take a sincere interest in others? Do you stand tall, lean forward and listen intently when someone is talking to you? Do you give them your absolute, complete and undivided attention? Do you treat everyone as if they are a million dollar client? Do you have good eye contact? Your most vital networking skill is to listen intently.

Body language also communicates―your smile, your posture, how you stand, how you move. Be aware of your vocal intonation as well, voice fluctuation, enunciation. Concentrate on communicating that you are interesting and interested with your body language and your energy.

Secret # 3

Invest time with others. The goal of networking is to form long-term affiliations. You want to create relationships that last, that are first based on getting to know the person, who they are is so much more than what they do. Find out their dreams, their interests, what is important to them. Dig in. Really know who people are and find their brand of uniqueness, and you will create more than business connections, you will create friendships. Friends help each other and refer business to each other. A connection based on trust, respect and friendship will last.

First Step to Networking

Before you venture out to meet new people, "press some flesh" and generate new business, take some time to get to know yourself, what you want, what you're committed to, and your values.  Get clear about what you love to do. Identify your big dreams, the ones that stir your soul, and make a commitment to seeing them come true. Clarity of purpose elevates you beyond the ordinary into the extraordinary. It's the coal in your engine that fuels your passion, the magic carpet to your dreams to get you from where you are now to the vision you see in your mind's eye.

How to do this? The very first step is to find out your bottom line, your ―why, why you want to accomplish your dreams. What are you committed to creating in your life? How does reaching your goals allow you to fulfill that commitment?

Once you are clear about your commitment, identify and clarify your values. Sometimes the idea of values confuses people, as it seems a nebulous, hard to access, indefinable set of vague internal rules. Values are the intangibles that all the tangibles are built upon―ideals only you can identify,  like integrity, peace, love, compassion, passion, truth, honesty, action, creativity to name a few. One of the easiest ways to discover your values is to ask yourself: what is valuable to me? Determination and persistence are valuable to me. Doing what I say I will do is valuable to me. If you're still not sure, notice the traits you admire in others, and you will begin to discover, uncover and clearly understand. Values motivate you toward your goals and also give you a reference point to ensure you stay true to who you are on the road to your dreams. Once you've identified your own values, blazon and burn them into your conscious mind, so you know 100% what makes you move, what makes you take action, what is the source of your purpose and passion.

One value may encompass three or four similar sub-values, so take your time. Identify not only what a value means but what it means to you. For example, integrity, this is usually one of everyone's top values. Everyonesaysthey have integrity. Now, how can this be? If your definition of integrity changes depending on the circumstances of each moment, "Sorry I'm late, but…" you may get tosayyou have integrity, but will peopleexperienceyou as having integrity?

Depending on your understanding and definition, integrity can include honesty, peace and even persistence. Only when you define with total clarify what integrity means to you and commit that definition to your mind, so you will live by it most of the time can you be said to hold integrity as a value. And remember, values like integrity may be easier to live by in some areas of your life than others, but you'll feel better if you strive to live by your values in every area.

Values are not static. They will change. You can redefine and refine your values in the months or years ahead.

Make your values, goals, dreams and worthy ideals clear, and you will not only be successful in networking, but these skill sets will help you accomplish what you want in life, in all areas. To clarify the values that propel your dreams will help keep you going when the going gets tough and create the reality you want.

While it's easy to rattle off a list of 20 values, or traits you admire, I think it is better to have three values (up to, but no more than four or five if they are extremely meaningful to you) that form the rock-solid foundation to build your dreams upon. Start here. This will give you the energy, the passion, the enthusiasm that will fuel all your networking efforts. According to motivational speaker Chris Widener, "People are either moving toward or away from you." The reason for this is your passion, your commitment to excellence, your level of fun and excitement, your passionate way of living. Everyone wants a piece of the visionary, the excited and charismatic individual. You will be charismatic proportional to the clarification of your values, the commitment to your goals and the vision that is behind it all.

Attract people. Get clear on what you want. Link your desires to something that has a huge impact on the world, and you will discover a key ingredient to get you to your goals a lot faster.

Once you clarify your goals and values, write them down. Read them every day. Create daily action steps. This will attract people to you. In the words of Zig Ziglar, you "move from being a wandering generality, into becoming a meaningful specific."

What is Networking?:

In the standard definition, networking is a subset of marketing that gets the word out about your business and helps you get clients. In practice, networking is you advertising you with personality, a three dimensional way to grow your company. It isn't a one-dimensional ad in the yellow pages that a person calls not knowing who or what they will get. In networking the prospect gets you, your energy, your enthusiasm and passion. They connect your business with a face, a real person, someone they know, a friend. This is what makes networking magical, deeper than just dealing with a nameless, faceless corporation. Even if you work for a large corporation, a client still wants a connection with a face, a person they know, a connection they can trust and depend on. Networking is for everyone.

With this in mind, I recommend you adopt a few basic philosophies in your approach to networking to get the best results.

Be future-oriented. Talk about it, plan for it; think about what you want and how to get it. Optimistic people tend to have a future orientation. They talk about what can be, and are excited about the opportunities and possibilities. A past-oriented focus is generally reserved for pessimistic people who mostly complain about what happened before and how hard and difficult life is. They talk about what they don't want, and don't like about their lives and, by focusing on this, they create more of it. In networking people are attracted to your enthusiasm, your love of what you do. So be optimistic. Have fun creating the vision and life you want, and others will help you.

Be genuine. If you are sincerely interested and fully attentive to what others really want, guess what? They'll be interested in what you want, who you are, and what your dreams are too.

People see right through anyone who has the ability to influence people with their oratory excellence but really don't care about others. Be genuine or be refused.

"Kindness is my true religion." ~ 14^th The Dali Lama

Be kind. All of the best networking is done in the spirit of kindness, so be friendly and willing to help others. Encourage them and believe in their dreams. Find creative ways to keep in touch. Treat people like friends. Erase the dollar signs in your eyes, and see the person standing before you.

Give first. Plant an apple tree and be willing to let it grow, no matter how long it takes before you get to pick off a nice, ripe apple. Help others achieve their dreams and your selfless acts of kindness will come back to you a thousand fold.