NO MEANS NOT YET: AN EXAMPLE FOR YOU

The free writing experiment from yesterday is still going on but as I mentioned, sometimes ideas for writing come at the most interesting times....

Like 1:23 AM this morning.  Really.  I was doing what I'm not supposed to be doing and had my phone next to my bed.  As often happens, I woke up and broke the "don't look at your phone" rule which is notorious for creating disruptive sleep.  Very accurate.  

I looked at an email message that had come from an old colleague with a nonprofit I had worked at fifteen years ago.  As part of my 17 invitations a day, I had reached out to her six months ago.  Her email started off with an apology  for not having responded sooner.  But more interestingly, she shared that work at her organization had become incredibly challenging and had her thinking of her career trajectory.  Ultimately, she wanted to take me up on my offer of a conversation.  

This was such a pleasant reminder of why I do what I do and hope that you'll consider doing something similar.    As a reminder, I make it my business to reach out to connect or re-connect with 17 people every day.  Why 17?  Well, that's a longer story.  Suffice to say that it's what I've determined to be the optimum number to create the results I want to create this year for both me and those I work with.

But back to you and why I suggest doing this.  My story above is the perfect illustration that a No (as in no response or a no) simply means Not Yet.  I won't pretend for a minute that I created this concept.  Two of my favorite coaches, Jeff Gitomer and Steve Chandler say it numerous times in their writing, speaking and coaching.  I just happen to love when I can say authentically that it's true with a live example like the one above.

If you're a fundraiser, this concept is relevant for prospective donors and partners you may reach out to.  And if you're a coach - or for that matter anyone that creates a business by starting conversations - I hope this gives you a little bit of inspiration for getting your day going.  Have a good one!