Is Life Just One Big Popularity Contest?
After all, it’s who you know, not what you know…Right?
You ever hear that saying, “It’s who you know, not what you know”? Well, if you haven’t, then you either don’t work in sales or you’re in a profession that has little to no requirement of communicating with other people.
Who you know has become such a powerful and even necessary tool that, when mastered by anyone who recognizes the monumental value of simply having a connection, it can help you get anywhere in life.
The world we live in today revolves around our mutual connections — Who we are friends with, who we went to school with, who we’ve worked with.
Getting invited to a social gathering, being hired by a company that you applied for, or even getting accepted into a desired college or university, can become a make or break deal, all depending on the right person.
In the world of sales, a multi-million dollar business deal can be signed, sealed, and delivered solely based on the act of making one single introduction.
However, this is not new information. This is not a new methodology or a new way of doing business. Across cultures, for centuries, people have become successful or have risen to power based on who they know.
Individuals were judged solely based on their lineage, their placement within a caste system, their ties to aristocracy, to fame, or to wealth — And all of these things are tethered to who or who you’re not associated with.
If you have an “in”, a connection, then you’re golden. If not, then good luck with networking.
“Who you know” has been formed into one crucial term that is all too familiar when it comes to making moves in your career — And that term is networking.
Networking is now the most effective and most essential way of getting ahead in your career, no matter what industry you’re in. Being an outgoing, social and purely being likable individual can take you a long way in your career and in life.
A prospective candidate for hire can be the most qualified, intelligent, and experienced of the batch, but if they aren’t personable or they don’t easily get along with the interviewer, then they might not even stand a chance.
Or take actors, artists, and musicians for example. Sure, you can have the raw talent — The skills, the knowledge, the depth. But, if you don’t have fans, the following, and most importantly the support of others within your industry, then consider your talent a hidden secret.
Hell, nowadays there are people who get paid solely based on the number of people that like or follow them on social media; based on their number of post likes, comments, and shares.
Being liked has crafted into an entire industry and a desired profession all on its own.
So, this leads me to ask the following question.
In many ways, isn’t life just one big popularity contest?
To answer this plain and simple…yes. In many ways, life can feel very much like one big popularity contest where it seems that no matter what you do or how hard you try, the only thing that stands in the way of you achieving your goal is the people that support you. And for the most part, that can be true.
However, we shouldn’t let that discourage us.
Whatever you do in life, do it genuinely, whole-heartedly, and with conviction. It shouldn’t matter who you know or who you don’t know if it’s something that you truly believe in — And if you believe in it that much, then the people that matter will eventually follow you. Just don’t get caught up in the trap of desperately seeking popularity in order to achieve success.
And when times get tough, don’t give up, don’t give in, and don’t lose sight of what you believe.
If you enjoyed this, check out “How to Get People to Believe in Your Writing”
