I miss my friends.  Terribly.

My two closest friends - Will and D - live elsewhere.  Actually, I guess I’m the one who really lives elsewhere.  I’m the one who’s moved.  Twice.

Will, whom I’ve known longer, is still in Virginia.  He’s a friend and brother all rolled up into one.  We’ve been friends for 7 years now and seen each other at our best and worst.  (I’m not just tossing out a tired cliché here.  Take this literally.)  And we’re so similar that sometimes it’s like talking to a male version of myself.

Will actually lived right across the hall from me in our dorm building, Dominion Hall, for about 4 months before we even spoke to each other.  I’d see him at the elevator, or see him walking to or from our building, but we never really spoke.  Perhaps a quick “hello” or nod of acknowledgment as we passed each other, but that was about it.  (more…)

You probably don’t know that in addition to Hi, Society!, I have a design company - Element K Creative.  That’s probably because Element K doesn’t have a website.

Yet.

I’ve been able to put Element K’s website off this long because projects come in pretty steadily by referral, which is always great, plus I took a little time off to launch Hi, Society! Design Studio.  I was busy and kept saying, “I have sooo many projects to do that I don’t have time to design my own website.”

Excuses.  (And some of you know what excuses are.)  (more…)

You might recall that I currently live in the middle of nowhere.  Well, when you’re in the middle of nowhere and you have even the slightest acquaintance within 1 hour of you, you meet up with them.  Seriously.  Do it.  You just might have a fabulous time.

I just got in from having dinner and coffee with a new friend. He’s actually my fraternity brother, and while we’ve known each other for about 3 years and have several friends in common, we never really traveled in the same circle.  We were friendly, but we didn’t become friends until just a few weeks ago.  Our friendship, for me at least, was solidified tonight.  But that’s not exactly what this post is about.  I’ll get to it.  (more…)

A friend of mine wants to a mentor to help him transition into a consulting position.  There are a few people he has in mind, but he hasn’t approached them yet.

“What are you waiting for?” I asked him.

“I don’t know how to approach them about it,” he replied.

“Just ask. ‘Would you be willing to be my mentor?’ ”

He told me, “I knew you’d say that.”

Finding a mentor really is as easy as just asking.  Find someone who’s work and experience you admire - who’s successfully done what you want to do.  Tell them you admire their work and career and ask if they would be willing to mentor you.  Really, it is that easy - it’s a 2 sentence request.

Here are two ways you can find mentors to help guide you:

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With friends’ parties and office parties (however scaled back this year) on your calendar, this is the perfect time to take inventory of your networking toolbox. Successful navigation of a holiday party means not only avoiding the tipsy coworker at the copy machine but also discovering what you have in common with the other people in the room.  And when you find that something in common, you should stay in touch.  So how do you do that?

Exchange cards.

What?  You don’t have a card?

Don’t be the person scribbling your contact info on the back of a cocktail napkin.  We’ve all been guilty of it from time to time, but it does come across as sloppy and unprepared - never a good look.  Didn’t you know you’d be attending this event and meeting folks?  Of course you did.  Come prepared.

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