The Laws of Attraction

Tricia asked how to get her independent consulting business off the ground.

Kyle asked me if he should put #opentowork on his profile.

What do these situations have in common? Both are looking for a new opportunity. It all boils down to the laws of attraction. People want what they can’t have, and this is not different for employers. When you have options, you don’t need to tell the world you’re looking.

Another perspective is when you want a promotion. If all of your clients, peers, leaders, etc. want to work with you, you are more likely to get promoted.

If you want to gain new clients for your organization, people want something that’s proven before they take a risk on it. Try the grey stuff, it’s delicious.

How do you do this?

1. Confidence. Walk into the room like you own it. You don’t think, you know. Are you more likely to want to work with someone that might know what they’re doing or someone who knows they do?

2. Know How You’re Different. I also recommend the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 to help you identify your strengths.

3. Word of Mouth. It’s one thing for you to say you’re good at something, it’s another for other people to say it for you. When you’re first starting out, you need to help people with nothing in return. Offer a product for free for a certain number of people. Reputation is everything.

4. Be Amazing. No one can argue with results. Make sure you highlight your accomplishments to the right people.

5. Don’t Be Desperate. It’s easier to help someone that doesn’t need to be helped because it doesn’t feel as overwhelming. This is why it’s good to future-proof your career so that you can take your time to find the right fit. The wrong fit might set you back more than you can ever imagine.

There are opportunities out there. It never matters how many people are trying to get the same opportunity, only that you’re the one who gets it. Now, take a shower, put on your blazer, and make the opportunity yours. You’ve got this!