At the beginning of the summer I started a program to try and feel better. I could barely walk up the stairs in my house without feeling winded. I began walking on our treadmill for 20 minutes and each week increased it a bit. I'm happy to report that this morning I walked almost 3 miles on a walking trail through our neighborhood and up into a different one. The first half is almost all uphill, making the return very easy as it is almost all downhill. The thing about getting out of your house to exercise is you see other people doing the same. A whole new group of people with whom to network!
Of course not everyone on the trail is there to network. Many are just walking their dogs, a few are runners, some just walked to the corner cafe to get their morning coffee and a few ride their bikes. My connections were with the dog walkers. As you can see by the photo we have a beautiful German Shepherd. His name is Grizz and he is a very sweet, very gentle 110 pound dog. He barely notices other dogs as we walk, his focus is to make sure he guards me. And he does a grand job of it. I have to say, this morning, I had the nicest, prettiest, best behaved dog on the trail.
Which makes for great conversation. And common ground with other dog owners. Isn't that the idea behind networking? Finding common ground with those you meet? The usual questions are, how old is he? (Nine) Where did you find him? (A friend needed a home for him and we gladly took him) Who is your vet? (Dr. Cocanour) Do you walk him every day? (almost) My goodness he's a sweet dog. (Yes, I Know). These are all terrific conversation starters and they work because we have already established we both love dogs. That's the best common ground you can have.
Clearly, it isn't just dogs that will help you network. I'm also happy to report that since May 16 I've lost 40 pounds and am feeling MUCH better. The stairs in the house are longer a problem. Oh. Hey! I think I just found another way to network!!
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