I like to spend time each day answering business questions. One of the questions I see a lot is; when will I stop caring if people do not like me? Most of the answers given by other people were similar to ‘what people think of you is none of your business’ and ‘these opinions have nothing to do with you’. I see those types of answers as a defense mechanism. If I don’t care what you think then it cannot hurt me if you do not like me.
My answer is a little different because, I honestly do care what you think about me. As a business owner, your opinion of me will impact my business because we do business with people that we like whenever we can.
I think it is important to acknowledge that not everyone will like you, just like you do not like everyone you meet. When I realize someone does not like me, I try to use it as a learning experience. In some cases I may have said or done something to upset them. If that is the case, I apologize and try to fix the situation. Sometimes this works and sometimes it does not. No matter how hard it may be, you have to accept their decision and move on if they decide they do not want to be your friend anymore. I had a friend in this situation and I made her realize that she valued the friendship more than the other person did.
I have also had to learn the difference between a personal friend and a business friend. For me everyone is a friend but this isn’t always the case with everyone you meet. I have had people stop interacting with me when they no longer needed to network. This is a little challenging for me to accept, but it is a part of learning and growing as a person. I have to accept that not everyone is meant to stay in my life and sometimes letting go of people allows you to connect with new people.
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Kevin Willett is the Author of One Connection How you can grow your business (and change the world) one connection at a time. The business networking book is available on Amazon. Purchase One Connection on Amazon
Kevin is also the CEO of the Friends of Kevin Networking Group and the New England B2B Networking Group. Please connect with him on social media to hear about his upcoming business networking events