Dig Your Well Before You Are Thirsty

There is an old saying that you should “dig your well before you are thirsty.”  What it means is that you should prepare in advance for your future.  That may be saving money for the future, getting in better health or networking with people to advance your career or business.

Successful people take this saying very much to heart because they know that taking a long-term view to establishing a circle of other successful people can be hugely helpful to achieving their goals.  The important part of the tactic is to dig the well BEFORE you are thirsty.  Waiting until you need help with something is nowhere near as effective as establishing relationships with people when you do not need anything and you are giving them value rather than asking them for something.

We all know those people that only call when they need something.  We tend to avoid them because we know that they are only speaking to us because they want something.  On the other hand, when we receive a call from someone who is only interested in us or regularly provides us value, we are not only happy to speak to them, we look forward to it.

Those are the types of people who are always digging their well before they are thirsty.  It is also the way to get the attention and assistance of successful people.  If you interact with people and provide them value with no expectation of return, they will appreciate it and if and when you DO need something, they will often go out of their way to help you.

So, if you would like to meet more successful people, provide them value in your interactions and do not ask for anything.  This will establish your reputation as a giver and a person of value and you will attract the attention of other successful people into your circle.