As we start 2013, Pam talks about being open to receiving opportunities, friendships, and help from unexpected sources.
December is a time of both giving and receiving. I received an unexpected gift from a stranger last month.
I helped Stereo D with a recruiting event in Vancouver. One of the ways I did this was by posting an announcement about the event and the jobs to groups I belong to on Linkedin.
I was surprised to receive some unexpected help. Animator Ajit Singh, a team member of CGMeetup, helped promote Stereo D’s recruiting event, reposting the information to all the Linkedin groups he belongs to. The information was posted to several groups I would not have been able to reach without his help.
I appreciated the help.
Bob Burg and John David Mann point out in their book The Go-Giver that in order for someone to give someone else has to receive. “Every giving can happen only because it is also a receiving.” Burg and Mann remind us to be open to receiving help and the gifts of others. To do so strengthens our connections.
Billy Graham pointed out that “God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.”
I want to thank Ajit Singh of CGMeetup for helping me. And for opening my eyes to the pleasure of the unexpected gift.
It’s been a tough year. People are out of work, looking for jobs. Because of Ajit’s willingness to spread the word, many people learned about an opportunity who otherwise might not have done so. Ajit’s gift spread to many receivers.
Be open to receiving opportunities, friendships, and help even from unexpected sources.
Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, wrote, “Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it.”
Be ready to give and receive. And understand that we may never know the great value of a small kindness. Like ripples in a pond, the effect of giving spread much further than we can imagine. And everyone, no matter who he or she is, can use a little help now and then.
I am asking for your help. If you have a story to share about who helped you when you were first starting your career, or if you have a topic you’d like to see me write about in a future column, I’d like to hear from you. Please write me at PamRecruit@q.com.
Resources:
Stereo D
CGMeetup
The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann
©2013 Pamela Kleibrink Thompson
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Pamela Kleibrink Thompson is a career navigator who helps creative people succeed. She is a frequent speaker at colleges and conferences and recruits for animation, visual effects, design firms and other creative companies. If you want to reach her for recruiting, personal career coaching, or presentations, email her at PamRecruit@q.com. You can also connect with her on Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/pamelathompson, Facebook http://www.facebook.com/PamRecruit and Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/PamRecruit
