The Network of Knowledge - A Secret of Success

The success of many key people has always been a sight to watch. The way they get to face and address the most challenging of problems (so to say) is always worth a 'replay'. We all have this curious open question in the top of our minds "How are successful people successful?"

As mere mortals, its next to impossible to know everything beneath (and above) the sky - Let's accept this fact. Often people get caught in this Catch-22 situation when they vehemently pursue a dream of Success by trying to know everything. In Tamil, there is a famous Thirukkural that goes this way -

கற்றது கை மண் அழவு, கல்லாதது உலகழவு
The meaning of this amazing verse is - What one has learnt is just about a fistful of sand, what one has yet to learn is as vast as the universe

Even successful people have these mortal limitations. How do they overcome this? Here is the answer - They surround themselves with a very intense and valuable network of people. In the IT (Information Technology) parlance, this is similar to the internet - You have access to all the information as long as you stay connected to the internet. You are not bound by the limitations of your hard disk (brain) or your system performance (the human ability).

So, how are human networks formed? In the simplest form, there are two ways -

1. the information seeker gets a information source(s) (viz., a Mentor(s))
2. the information source voluntarily reaches out to an information seeker(s)

How can you be successful in the pursuit to seeking and creating a good network? Here are some tips -

• Firstly, keep your inhibition factor and the ego factor at its lowest - Don't feel shy to seek help. Neither should you let pride take control over your actions
• Stay on the lookout for a good Mentor. Mentors can be people who you might treat as a role-model or a person, who you think, can help you think the right way
• Believe in your network
• Don't get contented with the size of your network! More people you know, the more information you have access to
• Utilize your network - There is no point owning a Mercedez and not using it!
• Join networking groups - in any form
• Ask questions (however dumb it may sound) - It's not a sin!

Remember, Rome was not built in a day. So is a good network. It's a evolving thing.

A good network is like a Golden Banyan Tree. As years go by, the value keeps increasing as much as its foundation gets stronger. The number of points of connection to the earth (the world of information) just keeps increasing. The tree just gets stronger!

Stay Networked, Stay Inspired!