This week I was told a story which is a classic example of both the magic of unconditional giving and the awesome possibilities of networking. The lady that told me the story left the corporate world to open her own business and like many, she joined a business club that meets for breakfast on a regular basis to give each other leads. Recently however she was moved to do more than merely pass through particulars of a possible lead to one of her club members. She went a step further, and accompanied her club member to a meeting with the client she had referred.

This client was a contact she had established in her years in the corporate market, and did not have the profile to give her any business. Her intent was merely to give a club member a helping hand by her presence. She was unselfishly giving. During the course of the meeting however, it became clear that the client's strategy had changed and that her set of offerings was just what he needed. Obviously she did not want to hijack the meeting set up to discuss her friend's product offering, but the client himself saw the synergy and suggested they do business. Without her prompting a deal was struck - and not just any deal, an amazing deal.

And this is the magic that happens when you give of yourself generously. This is the power of networking. In the normal course of events she would never have called on this client with business for herself in mind, but the action of networking and giving put her in the right place at the right time. All too often we approach our goals with too much planning. Ironically it is the planning to succeed that can stop us from being successful. How could she ever have planned what happened? Life should allow for intuitive flows and unexpected happenings. The wonderful truth about success is that we don't have try so hard if we employ the laws of success: set your goals – and then give and network.

A Cape Town nurse set a goal to pay off her bond. On her current salary the goal seemed like a little bit of madness, but in keeping with the law of networking, she just set the goal and got out there with her eyes and ears open. Shortly thereafter she overheard a conversation in a health shop where two women were discussing the demise of their ill mother in the UK, saying how they wished they could find a nurse who had training in aromatherapy.

Normally the nurse with the bond goal would not have been so forward, but with the law of networking fresh in her mind, she decided to take matters further and went up and introduced herself, explaining she was the perfect person for the job. Two years and lots of pounds later, her bond was fully paid. Networking works. Giving is powerful.

So this week, don't hold on so tight. Trust the laws of success. Keep your goals top of mind, give of yourself openly and honestly – and network baby, network!

© Catherine M Glennie