ELEVATE BEYOND
The Blog of Jake Kelfer
 I set out to have 100 conversations with 100 different people in 100 days with the goal of putting smiles on faces. I can honestly say that every single person so far has smiled during our call which has been so fun to watch.
When I first began this project, I wasn’t sure how people would respond and if they would want to participate. I mean, it can be nerve-wracking to jump on a FaceTime call with someone you’ve never met for 10 minutes. What I’ve found though, is people are even more awesome that I expected! We’ve had over 50 people participate so far from teenagers to 50 year olds, from people in America to people in Italy, from students to executives and so much more.
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 It’s been one year since the release of Elevate Your Network and what a year it’s been! From speaking about the book in China to traveling all over the United States, Elevate Your Network has had a huge impact on me and thousands of people across the world.
I really appreciate everyone who’s picked up a copy, shared one of my posts, or talked with me about the book. It’s so exciting and I am so grateful for all of you who have been with me on this incredible journey.  LA to Toronto. 48 hours. 30,000+ steps. What a trip!
Three weeks ago, I sent a cold email to one of my new favorite authors (Neil Pasricha) letting him know how much I appreciate his work and how much I enjoyed his book The Happiness Equation. Shortly after we jumped on the phone and got to know each other a bit immediately clicking on many levels. This past weekend, I flew to Toronto to meet him in person and explore the amazing city of Toronto. This was my first trip to Toronto, so naturally I was excited. I had heard of all the great things Toronto brings to the table but it wasn’t until I got there until I realized just how cool the city really is. Now, I knew I only had a day and a half to explore, experience, and enjoy all that I could so I as soon as my red eye arrived at 6am I was off.  100 people in 100 days. ME + YOU. 10 minutes. All ages. All races. All religions. All income levels. All PEOPLE. As I experience life more, I’ve learned a lot, but there are two things that continue to pop up over and over again: time and human connection. I believe that time is our greatest resource and how we spend our time and who we spend it with is incredibly important. I believe that human connection is a driving force that can dramatically decrease mental health issues and exponentially increase personal happiness. That’s why I want to do what I’m calling 100 people in 100 days. The plan is to conduct 100 FaceTimes or phone calls in the next 100 days with people from all backgrounds - people I may know to complete strangers. The goal of this is to spread happiness across continents, remind people that they are amazing and that even a stranger like me is willing to support them on their journey. Anyone can participate, all you have to do is say YES. Based on my timeline this will put me right around Thanksgiving which couldn’t be better timing. I’ll spend Thanksgiving celebrating with my family and being grateful for all the incredible stories I've heard and new people I’ve talked to in the last 100 days. I’m thrilled to give this a shot, so if you want to nominate yourself or a friend, schedule a time here.
 We all know the feeling when it’s our birthday and we are stoked to wake up in the morning. We look forward to having people wish us Happy Birthday. We long for the feeling of appreciation and hope that this birthday will be a special day.
After all, it’s our birthday… shouldn’t we feel special? I mean, it only happens once a year.  Image via Getty Images What does a greeting really mean?
This probably isn’t something you think about very often. It might even be something you’ve never thought twice about. And, that is why I’m bringing it to your attention. The way we greet others and the way others greet us can tell us a lot about our relationship with that person. It can tell us how we feel about someone else without realizing it, how they make us feel, and at the same time, it can tell them how we feel about them. I’m going to write this a bit differently than my normal articles. One side is going to be from you giving a greeting while the other will be you receiving the greeting.  It has come to my attention that people, yes all people, want to be loved, have a sense of belonging, and feel that they matter. Crazy, right?
It has also come to my attention that we are so focused on ourselves, how many likes we get, followers we have, things to do, etc., that we lose sight on giving people what we know they want. If we know that people want to feel loved, like when they are complimented, or even feel great when you remember something about them, then why don’t we attempt to do this more often. Why don’t we attempt to give people these feelings more?  Every day we communicate with people. Sometimes it's in person while other times it's digital. No matter how you communicate with someone, it's always important to keep in mind that every day communication over time creates relationships and experiences.
There are so many obvious ways to improve communication and become a good connector, but if you want to be great, here are 4 elite tips to for effective communication that will increase your quality of relationships and improve your ability to connect with people on a personal level.  The time has finally arrived. You are off to your event or conference and you are ready to put all your preparation into action. It’s officially game time!
By the time you arrive at the conference you should be feeling good to go. You might have some nerves because there are a lot of unknowns, but that is okay. At the same time if you read part one on preparation, you will be so prepared you’ll have a plan of attack and several people waiting to meet you.  Going to a big conference or networking event soon? I have you covered. As you scroll through you'll be able to see 3 influential ways you can prepare for your next event that will reduce your nerves and set you up for incredible success.
This past weekend I had the chance to attend an amazing conference called NAWD. The attendees were a mixed group of about 300 educators, speakers, Student Activities Advisors, and much more, and they all had a passion for education and positive growth. I heard of this conference several months prior to the date of the event and marked it on my calendar immediately as I knew this was a conference I had to attend. When I first became aware of it, I knew it was going to be a great place to learn and network, but in order to maximize my experience I needed to prepare. |
Hey, I'M JAKE!I am on a mission to help ambitious entrepreneurs and freedom seekers start their dream business, build a world-class network, and scale to 6 figures!
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