Espresso, Cappacino, Latte or water.

Too many coffee choices can leave me wanting to shut down and not order or purchase. And I recently had this reaction when I went to order a cup of coffee. I don’t order enough coffee to remember what all the different styles of coffee are out there. I could feel myself becoming anxious as I tried to determine which type of coffee has more or less milk in it. Finally I told myself to pick a drink and roll with it.

With networking and building relationships you may find yourself getting anxious like trying to order coffee. You want the perfect person who will give you a big project or connect you to the right person to find you a job. Anxiety kicks up and you can’t make a decision on who to talk to so you do nothing. Or maybe you’re so active on Linkedin that you can’t keep track of all the new people you’re met and you don’t really accomplish anything.

Slow down. Deep breath and determine why you want to meet five people. Don’t start with 20 start with 5. Find a person and send them an email and ask for an introduction or a call. Start slowly.
Like ordering coffee don’t go for an iced coffee with double shot of vanilla right out of the blocks. Pick something on the menu and see how it goes.

Evaluate and keep notes and your relationships will grow.