No, no, hear me out a second. I’m not suggesting some cult where we all wear robes, chant a lot and eventually kill ourselves. I’m talking about the kind of cult where we meet people like ourselves, enjoy hanging out with one another, help each other out and find ways to improve ourselves and the world around us. I guess this would be more of a secret society, but since this is a public blog post, it can’t be very secret.
Seriously though, aren’t you sick and tired of people who don’t get you? Aren’t you frustrated with having political or economic discussions with folks who don’t understand the issues and may not even care about them? This drives me insane by the way.
We have a huge and complex world around us, one with problems and issues that have a direct impact on us, but most people could care less about anything beyond their little world. Their attitude seems to be “as long as I get what I think is owed me, I don’t care about anything else.”
This bothers me because I want to help. I want this world to be a better place for me, my loved ones, my friends and for everyone else around me. So I get frustrated when I meet people who just don’t seem to care about anything other than themselves. They don’t understand that they are a part of this world, a part of this society, and that the best way to help themselves is to help the world around them.
That’s what I want to change. I want to create a network of people who help eachother. Call it a cult, call it a secret society or call it the grand conspiracy if you will. All I want is like minded people who care about themselves and the world around them.
Networking
In fact, networking is probably a great example of what I mean. I believe that networking is one of the most important skills you can have. The network of friends, coworkers and acquaintances that you build will get you jobs, dates, advice, support and anything else you might need through your life. However, this is not a one way kind of relationship. The best way to network is to not see these people as resources but as friends. Help them without being asked. Be there for them when they need you. Support them if they need it. That’s how you build a good network without even trying.
Nobody helps that selfish guy who only sends you an email when he needs a loan, job lead or help moving furniture. But everyone helps that guy who was there for them when they needed it. And if they don’t, well screw them, those are exactly the kind we won’t let into our cult!
Entrance Exam!
In fact, that brings me to the kind of person I’d like in my cult.
- Honest – If I mess up, let me know. I’m a big boy and I can handle constructive feedback. I’d rather have honest criticism than dishonest flattery any day of the week.
- Open Minded – Speaking of criticism, I want people who are open minded enough to consider the idea that they may occasionally be wrong. No one is perfect, no one knows all the answers. Be open to the idea that other people may have a good point.
- Confident – You don’t need to be perfect, you just need to believe in yourself.
- Respectful – I don’t need you to agree with me, just respect the fact that I have reasons for doing what I’m doing.
- Critical Thinker – Someone who can look at a problem and then try to figure out what’s causing it. Someone who listens to a speech and then asks “why did that person say that?” That’s critical thinking. Without that, you’re just a sheep.
- Motivated – All the best qualities in the world are useless if you spend your day on the couch. I want people who can walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Someone who when you give them a good idea goes out and executes, not stays in and talks about the great things they’ll do tomorrow.
- Healthy – Can’t take care of the world if you can’t even take care of yourself.
- Giving – And I don’t mean the kind of giving you do because you feel guilty, your church tells you to do it or you’re trying to impress a hot guy or girl. I mean the kind of giving you do because you genuinely like your fellow human beings and believe that we, collective humanity, is just as important as you, the individual.
That’s it. Those are the kinds of people I want around me. If that’s you and if you want to associate with like minded people, let’s form our cult! We can come up with a cool name and a secret handshake or we can just have great conversations, solve big problems and make great new friends.
If you want to connect with me on Facebook or LinkedIn, my name is Gal Josefsberg and my email is [email protected]. I’m serious about this, how about you?
