Just Say Yes!

And I don't mean to getting married or to the perfect dress! I am talking about opportunities. In the past few months I have been involved in a lot of amazing events in the community. I've been to local vendor events, photo shoots, interviews with bloggers and soon a fashion show! People have noticed that all of the sudden I have become a great "networker" and that was never my intention. So what changed? Why the shift in my social life and professional networking?

The Truth is, I started saying "YES".

Now I am not encouraging you to say "Yes" to everything. That is not healthy and not what I have done either. I am encouraging you to say "Yes" to those things that pop up on Facebook, Instagram or events within your network that your gut instinct tells you is a good opportunity. When I first started my business I didn't see these types of things to be important to me. I thought that since I had an "online business" that events and networking didn't apply to me. I was wrong. If I wanted my business to grow and make authentic connections I HAD to step away from my laptop and get out there to meet people. Then I accepted I needed to put myself out there (sounds like a dating story), but I was uncomfortable with it. I would let little excuses or social anxieties take over my decisions and I continued to hide away at home.

I started seeing other entrepreneurs that I admired "going out" and meeting amazing people. People whom I wanted to get to know and become associated with.  I wanted to be like them. They were having fun, living life to the fullest and experiencing new things while making connections.

So how did other people make these connections? Well it wasn't by watching Netflix at home with a glass of wine. I also realized EVERYONE is busy. I was busy with a full-time job (still am), plus my commitments to my businesses and to my own self care like making time for the gym, but so were these other people. If they could be social, so could I! I just had to suck it up, get out of my comfort zone, put on real pants, tweak my schedule and GO!

So recently instead of seeing opportunities and keep on scrolling, I first STOP scrolling. I look at the event, people involved, location, date and time. If it is something that looks fun or interesting and fits within my schedule I seek more info, IMMEDIATELY. I stress immediately because if I don't do it there and then when I feel a little bit of excitement or inspiration it will give me too much time to come up with reasons not to participate. By inquiring, I've already 50% committed. If I wait too long, or ask a few people if it's a good idea I'm wasting time and not going with my intuition. We all have intuition, we just choose whether or not to listen to it. I've honestly have gotten the opportunity to do so many amazing things in the past few months by just taking a chance. I honestly feel lucky.

It feels like I am finally starting to attract the people and opportunities that I've always longed for because I'm finally open to receiving them. I still get feelings of anxiety or nervousness to meet new people and try new things, but I know that it will be worth it. Plus there is little risk. So what if I "wasted" a few hours of my evening or weekend? I learned something either way which is better than sitting on the couch. So give it a try! Next time you see an interesting opportunity or get an invite, look into it, ask questions, bring a friend if you want and just see what happens!

Kelsey xo