I have now gotten to the point in which my reaching out has got to reach out farther. And so, I joined LinkedIn. I have been putting off this type of outreach for a while.
There are many reasons for my joining the LinkedIn community.
Basically, I have decided that working outside the home, part-time, may not be such a bad idea. Also, I felt that this site would enable me to connect with other bloggers on a different and more profession level. And since I have started another blog, Piece Of My Mind, I thought it best to spread myself around a bit more.
I must admit that I had great apprehensions because of my preconceived notions about LinkedIn. I thought that it would have a professional smugness about it and that it would not lend itself well to those of us who do not hold a fancy higher educational degree. These were a couple of the reasons why I had put joining in for so long. Only after I took the plunge did I realize how wrong I was.
As a LinkedIn member, I now have access to a plethora of opportunities I would otherwise not have ever known about. There are not only business contacts and job listings but also blogging groups and many more connections on many different levels just waiting to be made.
So why am I sharing this with you, dear reader? Well, for me, this was another lesson in assumptions. That being so, I thought that maybe a few of you may benefit from what I learned and how I made my approach. Having these assumptions can hinder you greatly from making the changes and advancements that you may need to make.
Also, assumptions based on fear are never a good idea. In order to avoid this type of behavior one must first come to terms with what scares them. Since fear is usually the driving force behind most unhealthy and therefore unrealistic responses. It could be as simple as just not knowing what to expect and in turn, making up scenarios that seem too difficult or unattainable.
How did I finally make my move? Well, I first thought about it for about a week or two. Then one day, out of the blue, I held my breath and just dove right in!
My suggestions in order to work your way through these restrictive assumptions are not the same for the innately apprehensive than for the extrovert (yes, even some extroverts experience feelings of anxiety when trying new things).
For the innately apprehensive, I suggest taking approaching it in baby steps, incrementally. For the extrovert, your best strategy is to just take a deep breath and dive right in.
All in all, I cannot wait to finish my profile and begin to really dig into all that LinkedIn has to offer. I'm so glad that I was so wrong about this site!
