Introverts Need to Leave the House Too

Do you fall under the category of introverts: people who hates networking, conferences, and events?

I hear you. One of the reasons I first decided to pursue a career as a freelance writer almost 15 years ago was that I’d get to work from home in my jammies…ALONE.

I still love my solitude. A lot. So much, in fact, that I will stay up late after everyone in my family has gone to bed just to be alone. And I work from home and am often the only one here for several hours each day! It’s an important part of my feel-good-so-I-can-do-good strategy.

As important as meeting your particular needs for solitude may be, the truth is that inspired thinking isn’t likely to find you when you’re sitting behind your computer, and the right people and opportunities probably aren’t going to come seek you out at your house.

That’s why I share this mantra with my coaching clients again and again: “Good things happen when you leave the house.” (Click to Tweet!)

I know every excuse to not hurl yourself out the front door and in to the networking event. And that’s just for the things that are happening in your town—it feels even more insurmountable to consider taking a plane, train, or automobile to attend something out of town.

But I’ve had two experiences this year that I think will help you ignore those excuses and get your butt somewhere you (and your butt, ha) can collide with incredible people and opportunities.

The first was the annual conference of the American Society of Journalists and Authors in May of this year. While I was there, I not only connected with my far-flung writer friends, which is as good as money in the bank in terms of how happy and supported it makes me feel, but I also got connected to an editor who recently hired me for a five-figure project. That simply would never have happened had I opted to stay home.

Then, this past weekend, I put myself on a plane to Las Vegas to attend a conference hosted by Lisa Sasevich, a business coach and all-around wonder woman whom I have been working on a book project with. I went mostly just to be in the same room with her, as we’ve been working on the phone for the better part of the last year, and I knew that having a face-to-face connection would help us have an even more fruitful working relationship.

That photo above is of the moment we met. I think you can see just from looking at it that there is an incredible exchange of energy that happens when you get in the same room with people you admire. (I ended up enrolling in her year-long mentorship program, so now we are each other’s clients.)

I want these things for you too—lucrative and heart-opening possibilities. So if there’s some gathering or travel that you’re contemplating but are on the fence about—take this post as a sign to get out there!!

If you’re nervous about what you’ll do once you get there, I wrote about how introverts can enjoy—yes, enjoy!—networking if you’d like to read that.

And if you’re not sure it’s the right opportunity, or your heart truly just isn’t in it, use this as an opportunity to find an event that’s a better fit. There’s something juicy just waiting for you out there, but you’ve got to take a step toward it for it to find you.

Happy networking!