“Don’t you think we’re all like this? Uncomfortable speaking to a room full of strangers and yet somehow doing it?”🙂
Mart said that to me at the Cape Town Chamber of Commerce meeting.
My pitch that day, whenapproaching strangers as an introvert, was simple:
“Hi, I’m Angela. Can we talk? I’m not great at this networking thing. I’m an introvert working on getting better. What’s your name?”
I met more people that day than at any event before.
After a few reps, I wasn’t just fine - I felt comfortable.
THE RULE OF ONE REP
Everything starts with 1.
Not confidence.
Not a perfect plan.
Not knowing exactly what to say or do.
Just one rep.
Most people don’t lose their potential because they’re incapable, or even afraid of hard work.
They lose it because they avoid the first unfamiliar step.
I have a client right now, mid-career shift, new line of work, "starting from scratch".
She was having trouble calling her first potential client. She just felt overwhelmed with all the things she didn’t know yet. She was afraid of not being good, of not getting the result, of screwing it up.
I asked her,
“Just commit to one call. If you hate it, hang up. No one will ever know.”
She did the first one, and then the second.
Now she’s done 10+ and can’t believe she almost didn’t start.
“What was I even afraid of?”
...
Whether we’re transforming ourselves, leading a team, or reshaping a company, the block isn’t the work.
It’s stepping into something we’ve never done before where we need the most help.
So, over to you dear reader, what’s the thing you’ve been circling around, avoiding, overthinking?
What’s the one rep you can commit to today?
