Don't Forget Your Family
Dayne Steele

“Relationships are everything.” That’s what tennis great Billie Jean King (who probably never eats alone unless she wants to) started a speech with in Houston a few years back. I was the event emcee and that simple statement was so strong. We all shook our heads up and down and marveled at all she had to say following that statement about relationships and networking.

However, what amazed me that day and still amazes me as my speaking career begins to grow around the country, is how many times all of us forget that that philosophy not only applies to business partners, clients and co-workers, it also applies to friends and family.

Out of everyone in the world who knows you and has heard of you, your friends and family are your biggest supporters and want to see you succeed beyond your wildest dreams. They love you. They know you. They support you. Most of them even genuinely like you.

But do they know what you do? Do they know what you need? Really? Are you sure? Have you told them? Other than your mother, none of them can read minds. How can they help if they don’t know what you need or what you want?

Operation National Anthem is a perfect example. It is a website I created to encourage people to pay attention at sporting events during our National Anthem. Just a side project I felt strong enough about to create a website and some videos. Once the website was done, I sent a note to friends and family asking them to pass the website on to others. That was it. No press release, no big splash, no advertising, no blogs. Just a simple website with a simple request to friends and family.

A year later Reader’s Digest called to say they ‘might’ feature the website in a future issue. When asked how they found out about it, the editor replied “my brother knows you and forwarded your email to me a year ago – I’ve been holding onto it waiting for just the right issue.” In May 2008, I was featured on the cover of the Best of America issue of Reader’s Digest as one of “35 People Who Inspire Us.”

All because I let friends and family know what I was doing and what I needed.

Dayna Steele is the author of "Rock to the Top: What I Learned about Success from the
World's Greatest Rock Stars, motivational speaker and media
consultant/entrepreneur.