Why it’s important to get in the room

Why It’s Important to Get in the Room

There is something powerful about being in the room.

Not watching from the sidelines.
Not saying maybe someday.
Not waiting until you're more qualified, more confident, more financially comfortable, or more prepared.

Actually getting in the room.

I learned that lesson in a very big way when I walked into my first International Maxwell Conference.

I didn't know anyone.

I didn't really know what to expect.

I didn't have a carefully curated agenda or a list of people I needed to meet. I simply had this deep conviction that I needed to be there.

So I went.

Alone.

And that decision changed the trajectory of my life.

Sometimes the room changes everything

What happened at that conference wasn't some dramatic movie moment where the heavens opened and everything suddenly made sense.

It was much more subtle.

For two and a half days, I was surrounded by people who were setting goals and pursuing them.

People who talked about growth.

People who celebrated each other's wins.

People who were looking for solutions instead of endlessly discussing their problems.

People who were looking forward instead of constantly looking backward.

And I remember sitting there thinking:

This is what it feels like to be surrounded by people who are going somewhere.

And then I realized something uncomfortable.

A lot of my everyday environment wasn't like that.

There were conversations that went in circles. There were people who were comfortable staying exactly where they were. There was energy being spent discussing problems without much movement toward solutions.

That realization changed the way I thought about my environment.

Because here's the truth:

You cannot outgrow your environment.

You can hustle.

You can work harder.

You can set bigger goals.

You can read all the books.

You can listen to all the podcasts.

But if you're continually surrounded by people and conversations that pull you backward, eventually that environment starts winning.

Your environment is not neutral.

It is either pulling you forward or pulling you back.

Who are your five?

There's a concept you've probably heard before: that you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

I don't know who said it first.

Honestly, I don't care.

I care whether you've actually stopped to think about it.

Who are your five?

Not who do you wish your five were.

Who are they right now?

Are they growing?

Are they setting goals?

Are they pursuing something?

Are they talking about possibilities?

Or are most of your conversations about everything that's wrong?

And here's an important distinction: I'm not telling you to abandon people you love.

That's not the point.

You don't have to stop loving someone because they're in a different season of life.

But you do need to become intentional about who has the most access to your time, your energy, and your mindset.

Because comfortable people make you comfortable.

Growing people make you grow.

Stop waiting for the perfect time

This is where I want to lovingly call you out.

How many times have you said:

I'll go when I can afford it.

I'll join when things settle down.

I'll get involved when the timing is better.

I'll do it when I'm ready.

Friend, the timing is probably never going to be perfect.

Life doesn't suddenly become quiet and orderly.

There will always be another bill.

Another deadline.

Another family obligation.

Another reason to wait.

My parents taught me this lesson when I was growing up. When I wanted to attend music camp, it was expensive. So my dad told me I needed to save half the money, and my parents would find a way to help with the other half.

So I babysat. I took odd jobs. I saved.

My parents found extra work.

We figured it out.

The lesson wasn't that money doesn't matter.

The lesson was that if something matters to you, you have to be willing to take action instead of waiting for everything to magically line up.

And sometimes that means making sacrifices.

Sometimes it means getting creative.

Sometimes it means starting smaller than you wanted.

But waiting indefinitely isn't a strategy.

Find your room

Your room might not look like mine.

It doesn't have to be a massive conference filled with thousands of people.

Your room might be a local networking group.

A mastermind.

A workshop.

A retreat.

A professional association.

A community.

A class.

A group of women pursuing something similar to what you're pursuing.

Find your room.

And then show up.

Show up when you don't know anyone.

Show up when you're uncomfortable.

Show up when you don't feel completely qualified.

Show up when you've heard some of the content before.

Because I've learned that it's not always about what I'm going to learn.

Sometimes it's about who I'm going to meet.

It's about the conversation I didn't know I needed.

The person sitting beside me.

The idea someone casually mentions over coffee.

The connection that turns into a friendship.

The person who introduces me to someone else.

The speaker whose story hits differently because I'm hearing it in a completely different season of my life.

Every time I walk into a room full of people who are going somewhere, I walk out further along than when I walked in.

That's why I keep going back.

And then there's the complaining

The third part of this conversation may be the one we need to hear most.

Stop complaining and start living.

Complaining is comfortable.

Growing isn't.

It's easy to talk about what's wrong.

It's harder to ask, What can I do about it?

It's easy to list everything that isn't fair.

It's harder to figure out what your next move is.

It's easy to talk about why you can't.

It's harder to start figuring out how you can.

And I'm not talking about toxic positivity.

I'm not telling you to pretend everything is wonderful when it isn't.

I'm talking about where you choose to put your energy.

Are you spending more energy on the problem or the possibility?

More time collecting evidence that you're stuck—or looking for the next step?

Your words shape your world.

And the words of the people around you shape it, too.

Your room is waiting

So here's your challenge.

Audit your five.

Write down the five people you spend the most time with.

Then ask yourself whether they're helping you become the person you're trying to become.

Next, find your room.

Find one event, gathering, community, workshop, mastermind, or group that aligns with your goals and values.

And don't put it on the someday list.

Choose something happening within the next 90 days.

Put it on the calendar.

Make it non-negotiable.

Finally, audit your language.

Notice how often you're complaining versus looking for solutions.

Every time you catch yourself complaining, stop and ask:

What can I do about this?

Then do something.

It doesn't have to be huge.

It just has to move you.

Because small shifts, practiced consistently, create big results.

You don't need to have everything figured out before you walk through the door.

You don't need to know everyone.

You don't need to feel ready.

You just need enough courage to get in the room.

Your room is waiting for you.

Go get in it.