Just learned that one of my favorite games from the 80s can help folks suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, and it made me think of people I've met or heard from who've said they tried networking once and had such a horrible experience they would never do it again.
I don't mean to make light of PTSD at all. Some events are very traumatic and can stay with you for a long time. On 9/11 for example, I was actually walking into the World Trade Center when the first plane hit. More than seven years later, my heart still races whenever I think back to that moment of confusion mixed with adrenaline. And I still can't watch documentaries or movies about that day without reliving it all over again. Maybe I should try the tetris experiment then rent Oliver Stone's World Trade Center movie to see if it works?
The point here is that if people can recover from wartime trauma playing a simple game like tetris, then recovering from a bad networking experience should be exponentially easier. I wouldn't be where I am in my business today if I never networked again after my first event in 2000, practically knocking people over as I rushed out of the venue after 5 minutes. But I got back out there. For someone who was a late bloomer to networking, it's literally changed my life, and it can change yours if you can find a way to move forward, whatever it takes. So:
- Give yourself permission to eat a whole pint of your favorite ice cream
- Go for a nice long run surrounded by nature
- Spend time with your favorite people
- Make a baby laugh
- Play tetris
Then move on. Let me know how you do!
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