While it may sound simple to go join a meetup or head to a seminar there are often other insecurities at work that can stop us from doing so.  It’s often far easier to be discouraged by other people’s negativity or apathy towards your business, concept or idea than it is to filter out the negative and use only the positive to drive your aspirations.  Additionally there are often feelings that we aren’t good enough, aren’t advanced enough, not at the top of our game etc etc.  Everybody has these feelings of fears even if they aren’t aware of them but the surprising thing is how quickly these feelings dissipate when you realise that the majority of other attendees to the events or seminar feel the EXACT same way.

Step #1:  Stop feeling insecure and realise that everybody feels the same way as you.

So once you realise YOU are the best YOU there is and you will only accept positivity, why bother going in the first place?

Well, for some it is obvious and for others less so.  In our pursuit of success we often find ourselves tackling new problems and faced with new obstacles.  Now, these new problems and obstacles are new, to you, but it can almost be guaranteed that others have faced these challenges and overcome them in a variety of different ways.  Half of the time when there is a new problem at hand we stick to what we know, not realising what we don’t know and how easily others have found solutions to these problems.  Delaying an easy solution, delays your success and being around people that have tackled similar problems will save you a huge amount of time in the future.

On top of leveraging the knowledge of others there are some other advantages that you may not be aware of that come in the form of industry knowledge and healthy competition. Being around others that are achieving more than you will drive you to achieve more.  Being around people that are involved with new technologies and tools will also allow you to gain knowledge that will affect your business, goals and pursuits in a positive way.  Making connections with useful people will also allow you to leverage their knowledge in the future or potentially open up opportunities for future projects and collaborations.  And on top of all of this you have the ability to inspire others with your own enthusiasm, knowledge and experience

Step #2:  Realise the importance of being challenged, engaged and involved with like-minded people.

So you’ve neutralized your insecurities and you know the importance of getting involved, where do you even begin to find a community, event or seminar?

Seek and you shall find.  Start looking, do a quick google search for a talk, seminar or a meet up on a topic you are interested in and rest assured that similar people are similarly interested in similar topics.   Find a Facebook group associated with your profession and keep a look out for notifications about upcoming events.   There are so many tools out there to facilitate the meeting of likeminded people, if you haven’t found a way to do so, you simply just aren’t trying hard enough.  Here’s a few pushes in the right direction:

  • meetup.com
  • eventbrite.com.au
  • Look for co-working spaces in your area as they often hold meet ups
  • Look for community centers and check their event list
  • Find a facebook group

Step #3: Start looking

All that’s left to do after this point is to simply get up and go!

If you are looking to move faster towards your goals and aspirations make sure you take the time out of your busy schedule, you’ll be amazed how much that 1 hour of your life can save you 10’s or 100’s of hours in the future!

Sum Up:

  1. Everybody is at first nervous about interacting with strangers. It is totally normal and most of the other people that are attending for the first few times will feel the same way.  Rest assured that the feeling subsides very quickly once you get up and do it.
  2. Realise the importance of getting involved and learning from other people that have done things that you are either trying to do now or will need to be doing in the future.
  3. Start searching for seminars, meetups or organisations relevant to your interests and industry.
  4. Schedule a time in your busy schedule to attend the event and get involved, stay engaged and join the community!