My friend Domino comes in town a couple of times a year.  Domino is a metaphysical teacher, healer and massage therapist I’ve known since the 90’s and she’s also a client and former advertiser.  Domino has a habit of never planning ahead since she never knows where she’ll be travelling next.  Because of this, she depends on friends to get the word out for her when she’ll be in town giving a workshop.  The only problem is that she turns every visit into a self promotion session and that makes me not want to spend time with her.  You know the type: every time you meet they have to tell you how many people they’ve helped and give long testimonials about what their super powers are and why their work is effective and who they are channelling and how much bad energy they are removing from everyone’s aura.   I’m of the old school where you let your life speak for itself, especially around friends in leisure time.   I’ve got several well known authors and speakers as personal friends and when we’re together, we talk about our ordinary lives.  

Yes, we are all involved in teaching and healing and read each other’s work and may even have projects we work on together, but when we’re socializing, neither is trying to convince the other of how important or well known we are, or who we know or what we can do.  But sure enough, every 101 student who has learned a thing or two and wants to be rich and famous for teaching it makes sure to fill every moment with self promotion, not knowing they are doing it, not knowing how it comes across.  And that’s hard to be around.  So when Domino comes in town next month,  I already know that I won’t have time to go to lunch with her.  I still care for her as a friend and I’ll read her emails, but let me like you first, then I will naturally want to know more about what you do and I’ll ask.  That’s the time to tell me all about it.  And it’s always more effective to let those you’ve helped sing your praises than to keep repeating it yourself.  Let your reputation precede you.  Do so much good and help so many people that everyone else talks about it for you.  That’s the way of success.