For all of you writers out there, everyone is well versed in the plague that is the source of our demise, writers block. This week I had a complete lack of creative juice, and no matter how hard I tried could not seem to get inspired. The days until my deadline kept getting smaller and smaller, yet there were still no ideas in the works. However lucky for me, that all changed when I ran into an old friend on campus. To skip the boring details of our casual conversation, he said something that resonated with me and it was like fate, I had to write about it. Us college students are the next generation to rise up and emerge into the business world, or whatever world you are studying to be in. It is therefore of the utmost importance that we are well educated and informed, a topic that I have honed in on in almost all of my articles this far.
Everyone is always looking for the secret to success rather than trying to figure it out themselves. These days it seems that almost everything comes with a price tag, and the only way to be successful means coughing up the big bucks. I have a news flash for everyone though, some of the most important life tools you can acquire are cost free. Advice is free. The best way to learn about an opportunity, or a job field, or anything at all is to ask. The Harvard Business Review feels the same way, which is why they conducted studies that showed that people who asked more questions and sought out the advice of others were generally more successful in building relationships and establishing connections and here is why.
When someone asks for your advice, doesn't it make you feel good to know that there is someone out there that values your opinion? By asking for advice it shows your trust the judgement of whoever you are asking, and for there to be any success between business partners, employers and employees, ect..., there must be a level of trust. Also, asking for someone's advice shows you are generally interested in learning something new and informing yourself to a greater degree, both attractive qualities. Inquiry tends to lead to conversation, and when conversation is flowing connections are built and that is when the wheels start to turn and opportunity presents itself. The Harvard Business Review does a great job of explaining this study to great lengths, and if this topic is really intriguing to you then I would recommend reading more about it; But, I am not here to give a synopsis of a very lengthy study. My role in all of this is to inform my readers, and the goal of this article was to do just that.
