Developing a Personal Brand Through Social Networking

Social Networking is a concept which has taken the business world by storm in recent years, although it has always been the way most business gets done in the world! People do business with people they can relate to and trust. 

Check out the attached link for what constitutes social networking:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networks 

I look at the social network as a constellation, a collection of stars in the galaxy! Every one of us knows a lot of people in their sphere of influence, the value is in "connecting the dots" on their horizon and leveraging them by offering and receiving value for the connection. 

LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and some of the other social networking sites have become the common platform for professionals as well as people from all walks of life, and the primary means for communication in some cases. The concept of personal branding gains even more emphasis when you are talking about professional networking through LinkedIn and similar professional networking sites. It is your resume online, complete with references and recommendations - your digital footprint!

Use of digital media for networking may be a recent phenomenon in the 21st century but networking certainly is not. Connecting with people, developing long-term relationships, servant leadership, and value delivery are concepts that transcend the present time. They have always been the way business gets done around the world. It's not only what you know but who you know that matters~ If anything, they have been brought into sharper focus by the present market conditions, and in a shrinking pool, people stick with people they can trust to deliver!

So, how do you go about building a social network that offers value first? Simply by doing it, one meaningful relationship at a time. Take the time to put yourself in situations that expose you to other people, such as in professional or community organizations working towards a common cause is a good place to start. Volunteering your time and energy for a cause, offering knowledge and value to others, offering a helping hand, guiding someone to build their career, life, and image, listening with empathy, are all good ways of building your personal network as well as brand. "How are you known in the world?" The answer to this question is the key to your networking success, and defines your personal brand.

International Women's Day - Inspiring Woman

Who comes to mind as a source of inspiration when you think of International Women's Day and the women who have inspired you to become a better woman and have made a difference in your life? I would like to dedicate this post to a very special lady, who made a significant difference in my life, in what proved the be the last year of her life! Suzy Bell Raymond, born August 11, 1933, was an incredible lady, who touched my life in a very meaningful manner when she came into my life. She was born in Mexico and was a volunteer teacher at Lone Star College, Cy-Fair, for English as a Second Language. My Au-Pair Andrea was her student at  the college and they forged an unlikely bond and friendship, the benefits of which spilled over in my life and I had the good fortune of getting to befriend Mrs. Raymond in the process.

Before I go any further, I would like to say, I am thankful that Ms. Suzy came into my life at a time when I needed inspiration, when I needed to be reminded that life is beautiful and if there are any hardships, they are temporary and I have the capacity to overcome them with faith, grace and determination. She shared her love of life and wisdom so freely and beautifully, and inspired me to think that I want to be this alive and graceful when I get to 80! She was born in Mexico and came to US as a teenager, she was an incredible mother to four wonderful children and a grandmother and friend to all her grand kids. She was a teacher to thousands of students, and she taught them so much more than English!

So on this occasion, I would like to summarize some of my lessons learned from my interaction with Ms. Suzy:

1. Celebrate life, be joyful, spread cheer and sunshine wherever you go.
2. Always be thankful for all the blessings in life.
3. Family is not only blood, the best of relationships are the relations of the heart.
4. Live every day, and make it count, do not wish it away.
5. Know who you are, and believe in what you can become.
6. Always make your children your priority, they are the source of your greatest joy.
7. Share your love with those around you, and you will always be surrounded by love.
8. Being open and generous in spirit opens the gates of abundance for you.
9. Be present in the moment, take the time to live, not just pass through life.
10. Always tell those you love that you do, and show you care......

And when I visited her just days before she passed away, she was going through treatment for brain cancer, having fought her way against all odds to be home to celebrate her 80th birthday with her family and friends. She told me how much she enjoyed the times we had spent together and thanked me for stopping by, not once mentioning how miserable she felt going through all the ups and downs of life. She was an inspiration, a beacon of light, and a great role model, I hope I grow up to be like you, miss Suzy!

The Circle Of Life

"We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time". ~ T.S. Eliot

Life is a journey to be savored, not a destination to arrive at; the learnings and lessons are in the process, not in the final "treasure to be found at a certain place". The journey of self discovery is the most poignant experience of our lives, if undertaken with sincerity, honesty and openness. We start our lives as babies, helpless and dependent on our parents for the smallest of our needs. As young adults most people struggle with their own identity and seek to establish their own place in life, often vowing to be different from their parents. Although apparently rooted in defiance, it is a healthy sign of independence that spurs us to take responsibility for charting our own course through life. 

Our perspective changes as we mature, and we realize that complete independence only gets us so far, and we learn to be interdependent with others through life. This is when we come full circle and realize that running from our past and heritage does not bring us fulfilment, as we are denying parts of our selves that are inalienable. With maturity and humility comes the desire to discover oneself as an integrated whole, rather than focus on separate pieces of ourselves. We learn to accept and embrace our past, present and future, and recognize that we are at a certain point in life because that is how we have shaped our life to be, both by virtue of our history, and our conscious acts of will.

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." ~ Nelson Mandela