It opens doors to new opportunity.

It triples your network.

It has the power to strengthen relationships.

And it can increase energy for you and those who are on the receiving end.

So enough of the drama and suspense, what is this almighty word?

…

Hello.

It seems such a simple word, but simple should not be confused with unimportant.

Hello.

The times you get the chance to connect with the people around you, hold limitless opportunity and potential for your career. But sadly, we have been raised to avoid eye contact, to stay as far away from other people as we can and to avoid talking to strangers.

I say we have the rules all wrong.

I get it…we are all busy. We have hundreds of emails streaming in to our phones, notifications going off every minute fighting for our attention. We have social media to stay on top of, documents to write and presentations to prepare.

But do yourself a favour…take time to connect with those around you by saying HELLO.

The reason I say hello to everyone I meet is threefold:
 

1. You never know WHO is sitting next to you.

On a quick flight to Adelaide I said HELLO to the man sitting next to me. We ended up talking the entire flight. Not only did it make my trip more entertaining and the time go by faster, but I discovered he had just presented to a room of Executives and was in need of a marketing brand expert to help provide solutions to this client.

The result of my simple hello? A prospective client with influential connections, a mentor, inspiration (ahem…this article amongst other things) and a friendship with potential to open further doors.

A one-second hello is well worth that, no?

“I speak to everyone I see, no matter where I am. I've learned that speaking to people creates a pathway into their world, and it lets them come into mine.”  -Howard White, Vice President of Nike's Jordan Brand.

2. The power of having civility can have a strong influence on others.

Have you ever gone to an event or a group situation alone where you felt everyone else knew each other? I joined a CrossFit gym some years back and spent the first few weeks with my eyes down trying not to get in the way of the packs that stuck together. I was a complete outsider and I knew it.

You often tell yourself you aren't welcome or they aren't interested in knowing you, but most often this isn't the case. Most people want to connect and want to say hello, or at least don't have any desire to keep you on the outer. Humans are social creatures after all.

The day I lifted my eye line from my feet and made an effort to connect with the others (to offer my hair tie believe it or not) was the day I was welcomed into the pack. I have now been solid friends with these people for over 6 years and they all come from a diverse background of industries and all influence my life in various positive ways.

Stop relying on others to be the connector, they are looking for an 'IN' too. Be the one to open up by being approachable. Be the leader, acknowledge others first, offer your hair tie if it helps, anything to look someone in the eye and get out a HELLO to show others that it's ok to connect with you.

3. Encourage feelings of acceptance and boost your energy

I choose to catch the tram to work every morning and every morning I see the tops of people's heads as they read or check their popularity on their Instagram accounts.

So one day I stopped checking emails on the tram and made an effort to lift my head and connect.

I said HELLO to the only person who wasn't on their phone. He was a slightly scruffy looking man in a 60's safari suit. He had a very colourful backpack on his back with all sorts of gadgets hanging from it and a huge antenna coming out of the top of his backpack (clearly he was some sort of MacGyver-Special-Agent-Man carrying top secret Alien communication technology.)

We looked at each other for a moment. At last, a connection! I smiled and nodded in a hello fashion. He paused for a moment and then a big beaming smile swept over his face. It melted my heart and I smiled even more intensely.

The affects were instant, I felt amazing. We might have stood smiling at each other for 10 minutes, each other's smile getting warmer to the point we were almost laughing out loud. It was quite an intense moment that had me nearly skipping to work with boundless energy for hours to follow.

And you know what, we were the only two people on that tram smiling.

I personally value every moment I get to connect with others. It's how I reenergise, it's how I network, it's how I learn and how I get inspired.

So the next time you notice that you are too busy to lift your eye line from your phone, or you witness yourself wanting “me time” over making connections, or you feel like you are the only loner in a group, make the conscious effort to become unforgettable instead and say…HELLO!

You never know what might come your way, what career prospects might fall in your lap, or whose life you might impact.

Pssst…if you want to drop me a line to say HELLO, please do...you never know what might come your way.