Family, I know it’s been a while since I blessed you with a posting. It’s a reason for that; I’ve been extremely busy working. I’m actually in DC as we speak about to meet with President Obama. Okay, I’m lying but it’s okay to dream. However, I am in DC.

Before I go any further I want to address my last posting, “Show Me Yours Friends, I’ll Show You your Future.” I want to thank everyone that read this piece and shared it with others. I thank God for giving me the words to share with you. I had no idea it would impact so many people, however, I’m glad that it did. That shows me that I’m addressing things that need to be addressed. Hopefully, future pieces will continue to do the same.

As a follow up to my last posting, I was asked to discuss how one should go about expanding their circle. So today I will like to cover that. This past weekend I’ve done just that…I’ve expand my circle. Here’s how you can expand yours.

1. Sell yourself –Treat yourself like a business. Or as my good friend Stefen J. Welch would say a “brand”. Everywhere I go I’m talking about jdparks.com. Share your story; give people your elevator speech. Pull them in so that they want to know more about you. When people leave you they should feel energized and excited about what’s in store.
2. You want to know people that Know People that KNOW PEOPLE! Who are you connected to? Where are they going? Can they get you from point A to B, if B is just to far? You have to network. It’s a lot of people I don’t know personally, however, I know tens of thousands of people through my network. It’s not what you know but the WHO that’s gets doors to open.
3. Speak Up – You can’t attract people if you’re quiet.
4. Ask for help – One of the smartest things I credit myself for doing is asking for others to assist me. I will gladly use all my brain power and the brain power I can borrow. A lot of people are looking for others to mentor; align yourself with them but be sure they know what they are talking about. If you want to be a millionaire stop taking advise from someone that’s $6 dollars short.
5. Be approachable – would YOU want to meet YOU? You can describe a picture with a 1000 words but some pictures say 1000 things. We have to be mindful of not only our appearance but the energy we give off as well.

All in all no one will ever sell you as well as you. So get out there and sell yourself. The road to success is not one that has to be traveled alone. Connect yourself with other people with similar dreams. You can’t CHANGE your friends but you can CHANGE your friends.

“A friendship that can end never really began.”

JP