| When July rolls around New York, my husband | | | | you've developed a skill, like riding a bike, it's with |
| and I can't wait to escape the stifling heat and | | | | you forever. |
| humidity that often blankets the city. Not just | | | | Expectations can get a little thorny to deal with |
| mitigate it by going to a nearby beach, but really | | | | because your mind can play tricks and make you |
| leave it behind us. This year, we opted for 10 | | | | believe that something is harder than it actually is. |
| days in the Swiss Alps. | | | | If you've never done it before or never seen |
| While I had visions of skipping through green | | | | anyone do it, you'll probably think it's quite hard. |
| meadows picking wildflowers, in a moment of | | | | Then, when you watch others, it starts to look |
| weakness one day I found myself in snow gear, | | | | easy and definitely doable. |
| agreeing to be strapped into a harness to rappel | | | | But just before you go through the experience |
| down a crevasse in a glacier, and then climb back | | | | on your own, you can begin to second guess |
| up the ice wall with nothing but ice axes and | | | | yourself and feel anxious because your body is |
| crampons. | | | | about to do something it has no sensory memory |
| Taking that first step off the glacier -- backwards, | | | | of. I absolutely did not want to hang backwards |
| no less -- down a sheer wall of blue ice, uncertain | | | | off the glacier that first time, but by the fourth |
| of what would meet me in the tight, cold space | | | | time, I was pushing off against the wall on my |
| below, was the height of anxiety. Our guide made | | | | descent like an Army Ranger. ; ) |
| it look so easy in his demo, but now it was my | | | | The more you network, and especially the more |
| turn. | | | | you put yourself in different situations - from |
| With no technique, no idea what to expect, and | | | | one-on-one meetings to small networking groups |
| no trust in the ropes and harness that were | | | | to mega conferences - the less you have to |
| supporting me, I froze (no pun intended!). | | | | worry about what's going on internally, and the |
| Sometimes when people approach new | | | | more you can focus on having fun in the moment |
| networking situations, they encounter the same | | | | and maximizing the experience. |
| thing. Without the right technique, a good handle | | | | Trust is the most important element to have, but |
| on their expectations, and an overall trust in the | | | | perhaps the hardest one to grasp both mentally |
| process, it can be too unsettling and they find | | | | and physically because you're putting faith in |
| themselves retreating back into their comfort | | | | something you don't completely control. How could |
| zone. | | | | I know that the rope system, carabiners, and ice |
| This could mean hanging out with people they | | | | screws my guide had set up could hold my |
| know at an event rather than risk possible | | | | weight? I didn't. I had to trust that he's checked |
| rejection of meeting new people -- which I've | | | | everything to his satisfaction, that he's done this |
| NEVER seen happen in networking, by the way. | | | | many, many times over, and though he might |
| Or they could be too afraid to put a spotlight on | | | | take risks with his own life, he would never put |
| themselves and hold back asking questions in a | | | | his clients in jeopardy. |
| public forum when doing so could get them | | | | If you want to speed up learning, you can't figure |
| noticed by potential prospects. | | | | everything out yourself. You have to learn from |
| When you push yourself with a new experience, | | | | others and put trust in their experience and |
| you break through old boundaries and allow | | | | expertise. If they walk you through the steps of |
| yourself to move up towards that next level of | | | | a process they've done a million times before, |
| success. You just need to get a good handle on | | | | that's probably a pretty good starting point. Don't |
| those three critical elements: technique, | | | | get so caught up in arguing about what you think |
| expectations and trust. | | | | will or won't work that you never take a step. |
| Technique is the easiest to address, because it | | | | Nothing happens without action. You can always |
| can be learned and definitely improves with | | | | adjust and add your own flourishes once you feel |
| practice. I still don't have the right technique for | | | | your way through your own experience. |
| digging out my ice axe for each climb without | | | | So my key takeaways from my first ice climbing |
| straining every muscle in my back and arms, but | | | | experience is how succeeding at one challenge |
| I greatly improved between my first and second | | | | motivates you to keep trying new ones, and how |
| time, and even into my third time. | | | | important it is to engage experts to help speed |
| I found the same thing with most aspects of | | | | up my learning curve and get me back to safety. |
| networking. I still consider myself somewhat of a | | | | If you're facing a new challenge, whether it's |
| shy person, yet now I'm fairly comfortable | | | | tripling your business, transitioning your career, or |
| approaching just about anybody in any situation, | | | | diving into your first big networking event, be |
| introducing myself, and starting a conversation. It | | | | willing to stretch beyond your comfort zone, and |
| was just a matter of developing a specific | | | | invest in the support you need to help you with |
| approach and standard phrases over time that | | | | technique, expectations and trust to ensure a |
| put others (and myself) at ease, and practicing | | | | successful outcome (and to also have fun in the |
| them in real situations as much as possible. Once | | | | process!). |