When the right advice is wrong for me: How to make networking events less awful

Originally published on Substack

My personal trick to make networking events less awful as an introverted business owner?

Let them be potentially awful.

I’ve noticed many people prep themselves for an event with phrases like “This is going to be fun” or “I’m so excited to go.”

But that attitude doesn’t work for me. It's too much pressure to make this event go well and I can’t show up curious and open-minded. So instead, I play a game of “How awful will this event be?”

I keep that question in mind when I enter the event room. It’s not a negative question, but a curious one, almost a challenge asking "No, really, how bad can it be?"

I like that this game removes any pressure to make an event memorable. Any less-than-good moments are just points marked on a mental scoreboard with a smile instead of an anxious stomachache.

If the event is awful, I win the game. And if it’s not awful, the loss is still a personal win.

Ironically, since starting this game, I rarely have a terrible time at networking events. I usually have at least one interesting conversation. And I don’t always leave early.

The takeaway?

Sometimes doing the opposite of everyone else gets us to the same place faster and happier. Because the right advice for one person can be the wrong advice for another.