We are in the middle the best long weekends of them all – Canada 150. Everyone will be celebrating in some way: barbecues or fireworks or family reunion picnics. What ever plans you have, you are certain to run in to people you have not seen for a while or people you just don’t know.
Canada 150 long weekend represents a great opportunity to network and get yourself out there. I am not saying you will have a new job on Tuesday but you might make some valuable connections that you can develop over the summer.
Here is the problem: everyone I know (including me) is walking around complaining about how tired they are and very busy they have been. That is not the best frame of mind to be in if you want to maximize your opportunities.
Of course you are tired. Of course you are too busy. Even retired people are too busy. Get over it.
Take a few minutes to identify a few good things that have happened over the last quarter. They might be work things or family events – it doesn’t really matter as long as they are positive. Maybe you finished a big project or got a promotion. Maybe your kid graduated from something or you got engaged.
Park these thoughts in your brain, near the front. When you meet someone at the grocery store on Sunday and they ask how you are, these are the things to share. Not “same old, same old” or “I have been soooo busy”. These are lame responses and you come across as too lazy to thing of something meaningful to say. That does not beget new connections or relationships. It makes you look as interesting as a dish mop.
You are better than that. So before you head out to a Canada 150 celebration, think about your positives. Jot them down on a Post-It note or your hand. Be ready to smile and throw some good energy at people. You might be surprised at what happens.
Happy Birthday Canada!!