Pick the Best Holiday Parties

Hey there everyone!!

It’s the season with probably the most opportunities to socialize, network, and party. But how do you decide which ones to go to? Whether you celebrate or not, you can choose to leverage the elements in a powerful way that works for everyone.

1. Do What Works for You

The first rule in most personal development programs that have rules is, do what works for you over all the other rules. Some people don’t celebrate Christmas, or even generic holiday parties which may have a religious connotation (in their history/roots). If that’s you, skip the following rules and send this message to your holiday-happy friends. (Or, consider breaking the rules.)

If you have lots of work commitments or family obligations, you may only be able to fit a few select festive treats into your events calendar. Even still, remind yourself that you can integrate work/family most easily these days, and know Christmas comes only once a year.

2. Go Everywhere You Can

So many things in life are a numbers game, from finding a romantic partner, to reaching the next sales rank. It’s a shame that so many people try one or two holiday parties, and cast judgment on all other holiday parties for the rest of their lives. There’s so much more variety of parties these days. Just check your e-mail inbox or your social networks, and you can hand pick great opportunities that work for you, your location, and your particular needs.

No matter how bad an event is, at least there’s a chance that the event might have been good. There’s zero chance of making new connections or rekindling old relationships by sitting at home. We will never win a lottery that we never play, and there is far more value in playing than there ever will be in winning.

3. Be More Than Expected

Do people ever get an A+ experience in life by only doing what is expected? If we want to experience great things, we must be willing to do things out of the ordinary. Bring an unexpected food addition to a party. Perhaps you’re a techie and like to show off new gadgets and gismos?

What I find people appreciate most is bringing cool new people to their event. It’s important to have a diverse crowd and you can make a significant contribution by inviting people you know who would be particularly interested in the party you know about. Often hosts can use lots of help with promotion, and social networks allow everyone to be a promoter.

4. Actively Engage

Showing up is half the battle, but do people do well by getting 50% in school? People are usually very afraid to talk to new people, so it takes an initiator like you to approach the person standing by themselves. Join existing conversations because everyone appreciates a fresh perspective (or their excuse to exit a group).

Smiling, dancing, cheering, and gift-giving, are also forms of engagement. Which holiday parties can you attend where you would either have a lot to share, a lot to learn, or ideally both? It’s good to party outside of your industry, outside of your family, and outside of your normal geography. This is how we diversity our resources.

5. Be a Host

The most important party to attend is the one we’re hosting. It’s amazing how much more thought, effort, and love are required, and how much we learn, grow, and feel awesome about the experience. What a fun way to nourish and expand our community!

You want in on a little secret? Pretend that you’re hosting every party that you attend. You need not prepare or clean-up; you simply make a conscious effort of introducing people to each other at the party as if you were the host (you can meet strangers and introduce them to each other). Not only will you be a great resource for other people, but other people are going to remember you for having made their connection.

6. Follow-Up

The party is not over when we go home. With social networks, it’s so much easier to connect with people without needing any contact information. Simply go to the event pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, MeetUp, etc., and say “Hi” to those new people, or old friends re-acquainted. Wouldn’t you appreciate somebody doing that for you?

Remember parts of conversations and acknowledge people for any cool insights they gave or how they were with you. If you made a really significant contact, tell the person who introduced you and/or the person who hosted the party. Cultivate each relationship as you move through your six degrees.

It all comes down to having fun while creating your life. We can have fun, and we can create our lives as we choose, but doing them both simultaneously is what might cause us to say HO! HO! HO!

Let’s love the world together...

Love,
[)anish /|hmed, blind visionary

P.S. Check out these other holiday treats!
http://blog.ordinarywords.com/2013/12/x-mas-inspiration.html