Connection as a Growth Strategy with Dana Hilmer

“Our success, our happiness, our life depends on the people we know and the relationships we have.” –Dana HilmerDo you have an Abundance spreadsheet? I have one that includes clients, past clients, partners, people I want to connect with. Sometimes it guides my connection … and sometimes I just start reaching out and serving people. Because more connection is amazing. I’m so excited about Dana Hilmer, the Unretirement Transition Coach, about her own transitions and the upswing many of us find ourselves on in our 50s. Dana thrives on connection in her business and life and we talk a lot about what that looks like. Dana shared a tip in issue 3 of Pause Magazine that I loved. We started our conversation with her 3x3 Connect practice. Basically, each day you connect with three new people, follow up with three people, and serve three people. We also talk about: Actually connecting and getting to know people instead of playing a numbers gameLetting curiosity lead the way and sharing with excitement rather than it being transactionalHow to organize your contacts and when to let it be organicConnecting first and sprinkling serving throughout the dayGetting out of our heads and feeling awkward about reaching outExtending your gratitude practiceABOUT DANADana Hilmer is an UnRetirement transition coach. She’s the founder of Wiser and Free, where her mission is to help people navigate their (un)retirement journey to create a life of more freedom, purpose and possibility.With over a decade of experience as a personal leadership and midlife reinvention expert, she’s helped hundreds of people realize their potential and navigate big life transitions to create their next act with confidence, excitement and peace of mind.When not working she is spending time with family and friends, trying new experiences (last year it was pottery and improv!) and doing anything that gets her into the great outdoors. She lives in Madison, CT with her husband and is the proud mom of three young adult sons.LINKShttps://www.wiserandfree.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/danahilmer/https://www.instagram.com/dana.hilmer/Pause MagazineDOABLE CHANGESAt the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you've heard and put it into action. Change comes from action. Doable changes are things that you can add into your life, one at a time to make micro shifts and really create a ripple effect that will create a big change over time. Choose one that really piques your interest and roll with it. Here are three Doable Changes from this conversation:3x3 CONNECT CHALLENGE. See what happens if you try this practice for a week. Each day, connect with three new people, follow up with three people, and serve three people every day. Serving people might look like commenting on or sharing something they’ve posted, but the gesture is one of service.BLOCK TIME FOR YOUR MOST IMPORTANT PROJECT. It’s easy to get caught up in our clients' needs and the little tasks. Block 1–2 hours every day (or 1 day a week) for your most important project. What happens when you actually hold that time for the thing that moves things forward?EXTEND YOUR GRATITUDE PRACTICE. Every day, write down something that happened that day that you’re grateful for, something good that happened. Then answer this questions: What did I do that allowed for that?