Coffee Connections and the Art of the Network

                                         

My younger daughter has often said "if you don't go to audition you won't get the part".  I believe this to be true to most things we want in life.  You can't get hired for a job unless you apply and put your best foot forward for an interview.  

At a young age, I observed the art of schmoozing and as my Dad would say "Kibitzing" which means making small talk in Yiddish.  My Dad was a manufacturers representative through most of his adult parenting life.  His territory was small Mom & Pop stores throughout the New England Region.  If he didn't reach out personally to these vendors he would not have made any sales.  To be top in his field he learned the importance of building a rapport with these customers.  

Throughout my life I have incorporated many of these skills into my approach to meeting with colleagues, real estate clients and contractors who provide service to me.  I have found the idea of building a common comfort zone important before engaging in the goal of our meeting.  Often I did this with a common thread of sharing a cup of coffee.  

Those who know me, also will remember that I am also a huge networker and always seek ways to connect my contacts to mutually benefit each other's needs. This is an area of joy for me.  

I am excited to share that my just released book  Coffee Connections: Finding Common Ground Through My Daily Brew reflects on these topics with a part memoir, part networking tips.  I would be honored for anyone interested to read and post a review.

Wendy is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Needham and freelance writer.  She enjoys her Havenese dog Delilah, reading, writing, travel, yoga and spending time meeting friends over coffee.  

Finding your Melacon

My family visited Cuba in 2012 on a Jewish Solidarity Mission.  At the time tourism was not permitted for US Citizens, however, trips that served as missions for culture or educational purposes were allowed. Our visit was organized as part of a family trip to explore the birthplace of my mother-in-law as well as Cuban Jewish sites.  We also were encouraged to bring donations of clothing and hard to access medicines for  the poorer Jewish and local community.  We were fortunate to travel with sixteen family members including my mother-in-law, then age 79, and her sister aged 81 along with a cousin also born in Havana.  

We had a complete tour of Havana and local Jewish sites throughout the country. During this time there was very limited access to the internet or outside communication.  We had to spend the week without cell phone service or social media. Although challenging at first this actually made the trip all the more special. We were able to focus on where we were and live in the moment without needing to constantly be a slave to a cell phone.

A highlight of the trip was the Melacon in Havana. This is a long seawall built along the coastline that stretches for miles.  It is the social gathering place for the local Cubans and a place to get social.  Teens will hang out there at night and it would be common to hear musicians and strolling young couples.  It is symbolic of Cuban social life.  Visiting the Melacon brings a sense of calm to all who visit.

I recently moved to the Cape full time and have my own version of the Melacon.  For me, a daily walk to the beach and viewing of the ocean provides me with this sense of inner calm.  Whenever I feel stressed or just need a few minutes to myself I will walk to the beach shoreline.  When it is too cold outside sometimes I will drive to the beach and just lookout.  

In today's Boston Globe, there was an article about finding a sense of calm.  Our daily lives are often too busy with clutter and to be grounded it is vital to find one's space to come back to your o

wn mind and thoughts.  Alone time can be beneficial and an important way to reconnect with your spiritual self. I am looking forward to spending this upcoming weekend exploring nature and seeing some foliage as an additional way to find my own inner peace.

I wish you a wonderful holiday weekend and opportunity to get outside and find your calm wherever that may be.

Wendy is a Realtor and freelance writer. She is excited to be publishing her first book Coffee Connections: Finding Common Ground with My Daily Brew this fall.