I Attended A Conference, Here's What I Learnt

Now more than ever, taking time to invest in yourself is definitely a good way to spend your time. I've always been someone with a thirst for knowledge, but honestly I have really amped things up over the past few months. So, last Saturday I attended an all-day virtual conference. I know 'conferences' sound like a super scary word, but it honestly was not scary at all- it's was very nourishing actually. Although I didn't know what to really expect, it was actually really perfect for someone like me because I like short bursts of information. I feel like because speakers know they've only got 15-min, it helps them to cut out the fluff and just share the really useful stuff, and boy was it useful!

I was scribbling like a madwoman for about 6 hours, but here are some three things I picked up for the series of talks that day:

👉🏾 Networking is not for suckers

Reaching out to someone you don't know can be very daunting. It's daunting on one hand because you don't know how they're going to respond, but it's also daunting on the other hand because you don't know if they are going to respond at all. I happen to know a thing or two about networking, but one thing I didn't actually realise was a smart thing to do was to ask people for their email addresses even if you have no idea what you're going to use it for yet. A lot of people will tell you to network intentionally, and indeed you should, but also network unintentionally because you don't know when a random contact of yours can come through. I mean, it's like we forget that people change jobs and careers or something or that people are constantly building up their networks and may be able to connect you to someone really cool and beneficial in the future. See everyone you converse with as an asset, so grab their email addresses whilst you have the chance so if ever you're in need, you'll know how to contact them directly as best as possible.

👉🏾 You're lacking exposure

I talk a lot about branding, but over the weekend I was introduced to some useful formulas that I think I will adopt moving forward because they help simplify the necessary components for a successful brand.

IMAGE + REPUTATION = BRAND

IMAGE + REPUTATION + EXPOSURE = SUCCESSFUL BRAND

The essential point here is this, no matter how well-thought out your brand may be if no one know about it, you just simply won't get very far. And no, reputation and exposure are not the same thing! Like I always say, doing the planning for a brand is relatively the easy part because actually doing the work to get it out there is where you'll need pull up your big girl pants.

👉🏾 Looking back causes depression, looking forward causes anxiety

On Saturday there was a therapist as one of the speakers. As part of her presentation, she spoke about how those inner critical thoughts (that we all have) cause a 'psychological phenomenon' called 'time travel'. Unlike in the movies, this was a mental transportation to either your past or the future. She explained how because you're in that critical space, when you do think back to the past, all you notice is the flaws and things you could have done better, which can lead to state of depression in extreme cases. Equally she mentioned that when your mind travels to the future, all you can think about is the huge difference between where you are now and where you need to be, which can lead to constant anxiety in extreme cases . I instantly knew that she was talking to me for sure. I definitely treat others better than I treat myself when it comes to critique. I'm working on it though.

Have you learnt anything recently? Let me know ➡️ hello@bolubello.com