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This article includes an exercise. We will warm-up your brain so it is active and ready for the information that follows.
You will need a few sheets of paper and a pen. Get those and then read on…
Draw a box on your paper. Since a box has 4 sides, let’s label them:
1. Creativity
2. Empowerment
3. Change
4. Attitude
BUT a 3 dimensional box has SIX SIDES, so add 2 more to your box wherever they are needed. This gives you six sides to
the box and we need to add labels for these as well:
5. Marketing
6. Goal Setting
Now, imagine yourself inside that box…have the words on the box now surrounding you. Take a look around and see
what is on each wall. Read on the words on the walls of your box.
Think about each phrase and see what other words or phrases come to mind. Write these down for each of the 6 topics.
Spend a little time on each of these. Just let the ideas flow for the next few minutes…
CREATIVITY – what do you think of?
EMPOWERMENT – brings to mind…
CHANGE – leads you to think of…
ATTITUDE – makes you envision what?
MARKETING – and you drift off to thoughts of…
GOAL SETTING– has you remembering…
As you sit inside this box looking around at the 6 walls, look to your right. Look in front of you. Look to
your left. Look below you. Look above you. Look behind you. Write everything else down that comes
to mind.
Did you run out of room on any of these? When each phrase was mentioned and each side of
the box, was your mind still racing on any one phrase? If so, put a star next it.
If you finished quickly on any one item, make note of which that was.
Now, review what you have written. Which phrases were EASIER for you to expand upon? Which ones were harder?
Think back to the six walls and indicate on which wall you saw each phrase. Was Creativity above or below you, to the
front or back, or on your left or right side? Do this for each phrase. Write down WHERE it was in your box.
Have you ever said or felt like you were living in a box? Someone had put you in a box? That you couldn’t get out of a
box? You wanted to do something different or change but you just couldn’t…or didn’t…? Have you heard the term,
“Think outside the box?” And what was or IS your reaction? How does that settle with you? Is it something you can
easily achieve? Is it a push? Maybe it’s something you aren’t too comfortable with? Have you ever said, “If it ain’t broke
don’t fix it” or “We’ve always done it this way”?
Maybe the opposite is true. You EMBRACE the change, being or doing things differently. Learning, using,
and implementing new techniques, ideas, information, and theories is a joy. Have you been told on more
than one occasion how creative and talented you are? Is it fun to do things differently verses “the same
old same old”?
Think this quick thought with me: There is more space OUTSIDE a box than there is in it. So why are we
limiting ourselves?
NETWORKING is all about breaking down the six sides of the box to open it up WIDE and big…to make it FLAT even so
there are NO sides, there is NO top, and you build from where you are right now – on solid ground. The only direction to
go is UP and as far up as you desire to go is the limit to which your mind will allow you to perceive
and conceive.
We’ve all heard the saying, “Shoot for the moon and you just might land among the stars!” Well,
thought that is still farther up from where you started, do you realize that landing among the stars
means you have PASSED the moon?!! Think about it…scientifically, the moon is closer to earth than
the stars.
Consider the ways in which you currently network. Maybe you attend meetings or events in your city or around the
world. They might give you 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 2 minutes or 5 to introduce yourself and your company to a room
filled with people you barely know. So what is it about YOU that will captivate the audience and make them WANT to
meet you?
Does your “quick little talk” show how creative you are or how boring? Be honest, and if
you don’t know, ask someone who will be honest with you. Is your attitude reflected in your
posture, your tone and voice inflections, your smile and your gestures? Are you impacting the
company’s reputation positively, negatively, or not at all with your ability to market the
business in the brief amount of time they provide.
Now consider the online networks you are a member of. You don’t have 5 or 30 seconds to
introduce yourself, but you DO have a profile, a welcome comment, or an email response or
discussion post that allows you to make the same kind of impact on your audience. What do
these say about you and about your company?
Does your profile reflect how creative you are or how boring? Is your attitude reflected in the words, sentences, and
vocabulary you use? Are you impacting the company’s reputation positively, negatively, or not
at all with your ability to market the business in your profile, comments, posts, and emails?
Take what you know about face-to-face marketing and apply it to ONLINE marketing as well.
The end result is the same. It’s not a matter of HOW you reach your goals but a matter of
WHEN! And if you have not set your goals for this month, the next 90 days, or for the year, I
encourage and challenge you to do so TODAY! Take your “offline” goals and include how you
will achieve those through “online” networking…you just might find that technology has helped you to EXCEED what you
thought would be a challenge to achieve.
By reading this, you already demonstrate a desire to grow, learn, develop and expand your knowledge. YOU ARE
EMPOWERED!!! The difference maker is taking what you have learned and implementing it!
Go back to the notes you have from the earlier activity with the 4 and then 6 sides of the box. You wrote down a
variety of words, phrases, maybe even pictures or whatever else came to mind with each phrase: Creativity,
Empowerment, Change, Attitude, Marketing, Goal Setting. Take a moment to review what is written and how each of
these can, does, or has impacted each area of your business and/or your life. If you think of additional items to write,
add those to each side of the box – top, bottom, left, right, in front or behind.
Did you put yourself back into a box as you read that? REMEMBER, we broke down the box and you are now
STANDING with it wide open, spread out and looking up!
Embrace these six concepts.
Look at what you know about each.
Determine which you would like to learn more about.
Consider ways you can make your online presence as powerful and
influential as your offline.
What, if anything, could change to make your offline interactions to make them as impactful as your online?
A box doesn’t have four sides, it has 6, but there is always more space OUTSIDE the box than when you are in one.
Don’t be boxed up – break down the sides!!! When you do, you will see the stars and the moon, and
you will be able to reach for them both. As you do, remember, networking, whether online or offline, will
provide you with an opportunity to shoot for the moon…but you might just land among the stars!
Denai Vaughn
The Networking Queen.net
You will need a few sheets of paper and a pen. Get those and then read on…
Draw a box on your paper. Since a box has 4 sides, let’s label them:
1. Creativity
2. Empowerment
3. Change
4. Attitude
BUT a 3 dimensional box has SIX SIDES, so add 2 more to your box wherever they are needed. This gives you six sides to
the box and we need to add labels for these as well:
5. Marketing
6. Goal Setting
Now, imagine yourself inside that box…have the words on the box now surrounding you. Take a look around and see
what is on each wall. Read on the words on the walls of your box.
Think about each phrase and see what other words or phrases come to mind. Write these down for each of the 6 topics.
Spend a little time on each of these. Just let the ideas flow for the next few minutes…
CREATIVITY – what do you think of?
EMPOWERMENT – brings to mind…
CHANGE – leads you to think of…
ATTITUDE – makes you envision what?
MARKETING – and you drift off to thoughts of…
GOAL SETTING– has you remembering…
As you sit inside this box looking around at the 6 walls, look to your right. Look in front of you. Look to
your left. Look below you. Look above you. Look behind you. Write everything else down that comes
to mind.
Did you run out of room on any of these? When each phrase was mentioned and each side of
the box, was your mind still racing on any one phrase? If so, put a star next it.
If you finished quickly on any one item, make note of which that was.
Now, review what you have written. Which phrases were EASIER for you to expand upon? Which ones were harder?
Think back to the six walls and indicate on which wall you saw each phrase. Was Creativity above or below you, to the
front or back, or on your left or right side? Do this for each phrase. Write down WHERE it was in your box.
Have you ever said or felt like you were living in a box? Someone had put you in a box? That you couldn’t get out of a
box? You wanted to do something different or change but you just couldn’t…or didn’t…? Have you heard the term,
“Think outside the box?” And what was or IS your reaction? How does that settle with you? Is it something you can
easily achieve? Is it a push? Maybe it’s something you aren’t too comfortable with? Have you ever said, “If it ain’t broke
don’t fix it” or “We’ve always done it this way”?
Maybe the opposite is true. You EMBRACE the change, being or doing things differently. Learning, using,
and implementing new techniques, ideas, information, and theories is a joy. Have you been told on more
than one occasion how creative and talented you are? Is it fun to do things differently verses “the same
old same old”?
Think this quick thought with me: There is more space OUTSIDE a box than there is in it. So why are we
limiting ourselves?
NETWORKING is all about breaking down the six sides of the box to open it up WIDE and big…to make it FLAT even so
there are NO sides, there is NO top, and you build from where you are right now – on solid ground. The only direction to
go is UP and as far up as you desire to go is the limit to which your mind will allow you to perceive
and conceive.
We’ve all heard the saying, “Shoot for the moon and you just might land among the stars!” Well,
thought that is still farther up from where you started, do you realize that landing among the stars
means you have PASSED the moon?!! Think about it…scientifically, the moon is closer to earth than
the stars.
Consider the ways in which you currently network. Maybe you attend meetings or events in your city or around the
world. They might give you 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 2 minutes or 5 to introduce yourself and your company to a room
filled with people you barely know. So what is it about YOU that will captivate the audience and make them WANT to
meet you?
Does your “quick little talk” show how creative you are or how boring? Be honest, and if
you don’t know, ask someone who will be honest with you. Is your attitude reflected in your
posture, your tone and voice inflections, your smile and your gestures? Are you impacting the
company’s reputation positively, negatively, or not at all with your ability to market the
business in the brief amount of time they provide.
Now consider the online networks you are a member of. You don’t have 5 or 30 seconds to
introduce yourself, but you DO have a profile, a welcome comment, or an email response or
discussion post that allows you to make the same kind of impact on your audience. What do
these say about you and about your company?
Does your profile reflect how creative you are or how boring? Is your attitude reflected in the words, sentences, and
vocabulary you use? Are you impacting the company’s reputation positively, negatively, or not
at all with your ability to market the business in your profile, comments, posts, and emails?
Take what you know about face-to-face marketing and apply it to ONLINE marketing as well.
The end result is the same. It’s not a matter of HOW you reach your goals but a matter of
WHEN! And if you have not set your goals for this month, the next 90 days, or for the year, I
encourage and challenge you to do so TODAY! Take your “offline” goals and include how you
will achieve those through “online” networking…you just might find that technology has helped you to EXCEED what you
thought would be a challenge to achieve.
By reading this, you already demonstrate a desire to grow, learn, develop and expand your knowledge. YOU ARE
EMPOWERED!!! The difference maker is taking what you have learned and implementing it!
Go back to the notes you have from the earlier activity with the 4 and then 6 sides of the box. You wrote down a
variety of words, phrases, maybe even pictures or whatever else came to mind with each phrase: Creativity,
Empowerment, Change, Attitude, Marketing, Goal Setting. Take a moment to review what is written and how each of
these can, does, or has impacted each area of your business and/or your life. If you think of additional items to write,
add those to each side of the box – top, bottom, left, right, in front or behind.
Did you put yourself back into a box as you read that? REMEMBER, we broke down the box and you are now
STANDING with it wide open, spread out and looking up!
Embrace these six concepts.
Look at what you know about each.
Determine which you would like to learn more about.
Consider ways you can make your online presence as powerful and
influential as your offline.
What, if anything, could change to make your offline interactions to make them as impactful as your online?
A box doesn’t have four sides, it has 6, but there is always more space OUTSIDE the box than when you are in one.
Don’t be boxed up – break down the sides!!! When you do, you will see the stars and the moon, and
you will be able to reach for them both. As you do, remember, networking, whether online or offline, will
provide you with an opportunity to shoot for the moon…but you might just land among the stars!
Denai Vaughn
The Networking Queen.net
A Box has 4 Sides
A new perspective on astrology, shapes, and society as you network.
By: Denai Vaughn The Networking Queen
A new perspective on astrology, shapes, and society as you network.
By: Denai Vaughn The Networking Queen
