Look for Information in Odd Places

Many clients have used "scanning and planning" successfully. You never know who can provide you with the answer you need until you have put it out there to the masses. This is what the author refers to as looking for things in "odd places". We assume that when we need information that we know exactly where to look for it. The reality is that it often appears in places we weren't looking for it or when we were looking for something entirely different. We need to be open at all times to finding information that can either help us or perhaps help someone else. This reminds me of the hairdresser who was having back problems. She was having trouble sleeping comfortably at night and was finding her mattress so uncomfortable that she had taken to sleeping on her floor. Having to stand all day at work was also taking its toll on her body. One day one of her clients, who knew of her plight, asked her how her back was feeling and if she had purchased a new mattress yet. Suddenly her coworker, who she worked next to on a daily basis, chimed in that her husband was in the business of selling mattresses and that he could get her whatever she wanted at cost! This coworker had no idea that she was in need of a new mattress; it had never come up in conversation. As you discover the areas that you need information and help with, start asking everyone you know if they can recommend a resource for you. Another example comes to mind. One day a group of friends were out for a ride in the country in one of the individual's car. The car suddenly started to stall and the driver was stumped as to what the trouble might be. All of the passengers got out to look under the hood and the driver was visibly upset. One of the passengers, a female, suggested that perhaps the distributor cap had cracks in it. The driver was skeptical that this person could know what the problem was, but he checked the distributor cap anyway. Sure enough, it had cracks in it! How did this unlikely individual with no automobile maintenance experience know what was wrong? She had experienced the exact same problem in her own vehicle just months before. Never rule out any source as a credible one. What are other sources to turn to for information? Here is a list to start with: your local library; the Internet; your friends, family, coworkers and neighbors; newspapers; magazines; professional newsletters; and local educational institutions. Compile your own list of likely and unlikely sources of information.