Why Paying it Forward is the Secret to Success with Dan Horwich

The Idea Climbing Podcast

Episode 77! If you want to get ahead in business, you must give before you get. That’s what I discussed with Dan Horwich. Dan is an active networker focused on making a difference in the professional lives of IT practitioners. Dan believes that money isn’t the key to happiness; relationships are the key to happiness. Here’s why. When you get out of school, if you want to be an entrepreneur, what guides most people is the desire for money. The shiny objects aren’t what you thought they would be, your imagination can play tricks on you. Achievement is great, it’s one of those things that we all set out to do. But along the way you discover that the things that provide the most joy are connecting with others and having compassion for others. Those are how you build meaningful bonds. The more conversations you have and the more impactful you make those relationships you will find that the joy is in giving rather than taking. When you take a heart centered approach you will attract people into your life that have that same approach. Dan believes that he has to help other people any way he can and that he has to have a pay it forward mentality. Having that approach brings Dan a lot of joy. The more you help other people authentically with zero expectation of something in return the more you will get. The compounding of happiness is like the compounding of happiness in a financial institution. It builds year after year. It builds in those around you also. As you help more people those people feel the need to help more people and it has a cyclical effect. The Four Types of People That You’re Going to Run Into Bucket one is the narcissist. You’re only going to be of use to them if they can use you to get what they want. While it’s a bad experience it makes your antennae a little more acute and aware of the next narcissist that you run into. Bucket two are the people who simply don’t connect the dots in relationships or enable others. That’s just who they are and you’re never going to have an impact on them and vice versa. Bucket three are the folks that are kind and decent, but they don’t know how to pay it forward. The good news is they’re coachable. They’re capable of paying it forward, they just need a nudge. Bucket four are the folks that pay it forward. You want to surround yourself with folks that are in buckets three and four. The folks in buckets one and two will leave you emotionally drained. They’re not going to change their ways. They’re not capable of change because they don’t have empathy for other people. The Difference Between Being Nice and Being Kind Being nice can be faked. Being kind comes from your soul and your heart. Kindness has more depth in terms of the effort. Nice means you’ll help someone else if it meets one of your goals. Kindness goes a step further where it helps other people when it has nothing to do with your own needs or goals. It happens because you enjoy seeing others grow personally and professionally and it warms your heart. Kindness can be contagious. How do you balance achieving your goals with paying it forward? Connect with other people who have a similar mindset. When you pay it forward you develop a reputation for paying it forward and the right people will be attracted to you. This includes your customers who will then introduce you to more people with a similar mindset and that’s the magic. People generally want to help those that help them, they want to stay in their good graces. Whatever the reason is it comes back around. If a person stays consistent with that mindset it makes the sales process all that much easier because you’re already developed trust. You have to focus on the relationship perspective. You can get my book “Idea Climbing: How to Create a Support System for Your Next Big Idea” here! About The Guest In 2001, Dan Horwich took over as President and Executive Di...