Kathy Magrino – The Write Way, LLC

In a recent blog post, business coach Jane Pollak writes about “What’s Networking and What’s Not?” and she concludes, “Bottom line–be who you are wherever you go and bring business cards.”

Over the past few months, I’ve been making a conscious effort to network and reach out — connecting and reconnecting with business friends and acquaintances from my past. It seems to me that a lot of people have started doing this — we’re all networking more and more.

• Maybe it’s the economic climate?
• Maybe it’s the ease of networking online through sites like LinkedIn and Facebook?
• Maybe it’s more people realizing that life is short and we’re following Nike’s advice: “Just do it.”

Personally, I like Jane’s advice about “being who I am” — and carrying my business cards with me! And I like catching up with business contacts — good people, old friends  — from my past, and I like meeting new friends, too.

Somehow, it seems “comforting” to connect and reconnect and to realize that we’re all facing the future together.

Until next time, take care!

Kathy Magrino

P.S. I’m on LinkedIn — Let’s connect: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathymagrino

In a blog post earlier this month, author Barbara Winter wrote, “Knowing that information exists that can answer almost any question is an enormous confidence builder— but that fact is frequently overlooked. While the helpless loser goes around whining, ‘But I don’t know how to do that,’ the successful among us are busy seeking information that will show them how.  Then they get busy putting what they’ve uncovered to work for them.”

Barbara also quotes Eric Hoffer: “In times of change,” wrote Eric Hoffer, “learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”

Now is the perfect time to learn more about topics that interest you. I’m a big fan of education, always have been, and probably (hopefully) always will be, and now I’ve had the experience of being both a student and an instructor in the online learning environment. (Thomas Edison State College – www.tesc.edu; Rider University – www.rider.edu; University of Phoenix – www.phoenix.edu)

The ease and flexibility of “attending a class” from anywhere you have access to a computer is amazing. Online learning is still in its “toddler years,” but it’s something to consider if you’re changing careers or simply seeking to learn more about any subject.  Overall, I believe:

• Learning encourages creativity.
• Learning opens new “doors of opportunity” for us.
• Learning creates understanding and an open mind.
• Learning leads us to success.

Until next time, take care — and keep learning!

Kathy Magrino

You might want to sign up for daily emails from BusinessDictionary.com if you want to increase or “polish” your business vocabulary. I signed up several months ago, and I can honestly say that receiving the daily emails has been a learning experience for me. Some days the words are more basic than others. But, even the basic words are defined in new, contemporary ways.

Here’s one of BusinessDictionary.com ‘s definitions for “media” — a definition I share with students in my writing courses:

Communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data, or promotional messages are disseminated. Media includes every broadcasting and narrowcasting medium such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax, and internet.

What’s great about BusinessDictionary.com is that the information they share is current and relevant. I think we can all benefit by being more “current and relevant” in today’s business world. And learning new words and definitions to help us be better communicators in business — and in our personal lives — can be a big help!

Until next time,

Kathy Magrino