Last week I spoke with a Bostonian named Mary who took a trip to Jamaica during Covid where she was dubbed The White Oprah. Mary lives with Multiple Sclerosis and my conversation with her reminded me about a few things.

1. Life is about weighing risk and reward. Mary has MS and is considered a higher risk for Covid, but she also decided that the benefits of taking this trip outweighed the risks in her mind. While I wouldn’t necessarily make that decision, it is important to live life on your own terms (and not judge others for doing so).
2. It’s okay to rely on others for help. Due to issues with mobility, and the fact that she was traveling alone, Mary had to have assistance while making her way through the airport as well as navigating the resort at her destination. There’s no shame in being reliant on others.
3. Find your cheerleaders. Whether a limitation is thrust up on you or created in your own mind, it is important to have cheerleaders who can help you overcome it. 

This last lesson about limitations reminded me that there was a time when I felt I wasn’t good at networking because I would often leave conferences without landing a new client. While remembering this, I was reminded of a conversation I had with networking expert Diane Darling who taught me that networking is about starting relationships and not signing contracts. I’ve got some great sound clips from that conversation in this episode and I know you are going to love them.

As always, thanks for taking the time to listen to uncorking a story. Please subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts so you can stay up to date with the latest episodes. As always, since the holidays are upon us, I have to remind you that books make great gifts!

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