Isn’t it incredible that all the seemingly random things you do in life can be connected like a beautiful patchwork quilt that somehow fits perfectly together? I never thought that being a real estate broker in my early years, or speaking and now being a talk show host would have anything to do with one another. Let alone, that each previous career would hold the key to unlocking my potential in the next…
It all began when I started in sales, where you need to master the art of communication, rapport and networking. However, the icky, and manipulative selling style we were all trained in, didn’t work for me.
I realized very early on that I was going to have to take ‘the road less travelled’ and cop some flack for that. What I learned way back then is that people matter. Not just in business but in life. They are a key determiner of our success, they enrich the journey, they provide support and comfort. If we spend time nurturing those relationships like seeds, they grow.
I learned to spend time with people even when it was not about a sale and that the rewards will come later. And that sometimes a relationship is about more than just dollars. Sometimes, the value comes in a beautiful connection; by being able to help someone, a lesson, learning, teaching for you or them. Every connection is a beautiful gift.
After leaving real estate and becoming a speaker, I transitioned those skills from connecting one on one, to connecting to many and I learned the power of connecting on a whole other level. The grandfather of motivational speaking, Zig Ziglar was a master at understanding the power of connection.
I attended an event in Dallas (Zig’s hometown), where he was the guest of honor, surrounded by literally thousands of people who wanted a moment to connect with him. Zig in his 80’s at the time, gave everything he had with the patience of a saint and energy of an athlete. With every single person he was present, shared a small moment, shared a line of wisdom, a conversation or a question. He made each person feel like they were the only person in the room. Sometimes we don’t realize the power our words can have on the other. I think our words are one of the most beautiful gifts we can give to others. As Zig famously said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough people get what they want.”
My final piece in my patchwork quilt came last year as I was becoming an interviewer for my new talk show which launches March 1st, 2013.
That is when I truly brought all of those patchwork pieces together. As I sat there in the audience about to watch Jay Leno, I thought to myself–How will I become a talk show host? I realized when he came on, that he was really just a motivational speaker on a stage and there just happened to be a camera in the room. Well, I had plenty of pieces in my quilt as a speaker to help me do that.
Becoming an interviewer taught me more about connecting than perhaps any of my other roles. After my first day shooting, where I interviewed a woman who had been abused in a domestic violence situation, I cried as it was the most incredible experience. The only way I can describe it is that I got to hold someones heart in my hand. It was the most incredible gift. Something happens in an interview; you have a level of permission to ask questions you wouldn’t normally ask and perhaps as they are sharing such a personal moment there is a deeper connection instantly, a vulnerability. People truly want to feel heard and I believe when we share our stories it heals us and it heals others.
For me, connecting is about making sure that we connect with people in a meaningful, heartfelt way–not superficially with, “Hi how are you,” or “How’s the weather,” type conversations. It needs to be something deeper and more heartfelt. A place where we truly get to know each other and it is as if your soul is saying to them, “I see you, I really see you.”
This patch work journey of mine has been a 20 year journey.
Along the way I became a better sales person, networker, friend, sister… but what it really made me was a better person.
K x
Stay tuned to www.KirstyTV.com for full episodes of our interviews, when our talk show launches in March 2013. We will be sharing inspirational stories from our interviews with everyday people, celebrities and experts.
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