Many of you know that I’ve been in Hawaii for half the summer! One of the highlights, aside from ziplining, was snorkeling. As always, I had some insights as to how snorkeling—looking for fish—relates to our business lives—looking for clients (or even jobs, if you are a job seeker).

• Pain: We snorkeled at a beach on the Big Island called “Children’s Beach” (because it draws so many families?). But I didn’t think it was all that kid-friendly. You had to walk over a lot of volcanic rock to get into the water. Ouch. And the water is cold once you first get in—I hate that first moment where you have to take a deep breath and go for it. I’d occasionally get scraped up when swimming in really shallow water. Oh, and the mask. If you want a snorkel mask to keep the water out, it’s got to fit pretty tight . . . often to the point that it hurts!

• Panic: I don’t know about you, but I have to really focus to calm myself when breathing through snorkel gear. It feels very unnatural, and you can panic if you get water in your breathing tube.

• Patience: Once past the initial immersion and the panic, I’d find myself looking for fish and seeing . . . nothing! I needed to slow down, look around, be still, and suddenly I’d see more than I realized was initially there.

• Pleasure: With fish in sight, I’d marvel at God’s creativity in the colors, sizes, shapes. Unbelievably beautiful. The pain, the panic, and the patience paid off.

So how does it all relate to networking, business development, and looking for clients? I’m sure you can see the connections.

• Pain: It’s often uncomfortable to get out and look for new clients. We have to get out of our comfort zones. We have to go places that may be unfamiliar. We may feel a little emotionally bruised or scraped up in the process, especially if you’re an introvert like me!

• Panic: It may feel very unnatural for you to talk to other people about your business. Keep the focus on them—what’s important to them, what problems do they need solved—and you’ll have much less possibility of panicking!

• Patience: You may think that there are no clients out there! Be patient. Look around. Be still. Keep looking. They are out there!

• Pleasure: Once potential clients are in site, marvel at them! They are uniquely gifted, shaped by individual life experiences, and waiting to be freed to be, do, and have the things that are important to them! You can help them!