The other day, I met a guy that made me question the way I choose to live my life. This guy was very outgoing and positive. When someone walks in the room, he gives a big smile and goes to greet them. He does not seem to have any preconditions about who he will greet, he treats everyone as though they are all equal and interesting to him. He takes the time to learn their name, what they do for a living, and what their interests and hobbies are. He also introduces himself, what he does, and proceed to give them his business card in a very natural way. He was very receptive to new ideas, and does not use a lot of negative words in his speech.
I am not like this. I am usually very hesitant to say hi to people I do not identify with. On top of that, I usually dismiss people who I find uninteresting, and I almost never take the time to learn anything about the people I meet. Basically, I am horrible at networking. To make matter worse, I am always very negative. I am known for my cynicism and some people in my life has completely stop talking to me because I am always being negative and complaining about things.
Anyways, watching this guy network, made me realize that my attitude towards people is completely wrong. There is much to be gain from having a positive attitude. This is especially important to me as I build my business and need to find new customers through networking with people I meet. I also find that if I am more positive in my speech, the conversations I have with people will be less hostile, and will make people feel more comfortable speaking with me.
I am going to try this new outlook I have. Wish me luck.