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It’s More Then Just Who You Know

It’s long been said that it is not what you know, it’s who you know. I’m not denying that, but let’s focus on the later half of the saying, the who you know. Now I’m sure you and I know a whole lot of people. From the associates, friends, family and even the people you pass by on a regular basis. By the aforementioned definition, these are people whom we know. But can you really be flagging people down off the side of the road and engaging them in a conversation? Much less asking for any meaningful help besides directions?

Of course not. And this all goes back to the gatekeepers we have in the relationships we keep. The closer someone gets, the more of help they can be. Therefore, we can go beyond just the what you know and who you know with a second saying that can go:

It’s not who you know, it’s how well you know them.

Whom Do You Decide To Know Well?

The next question then becomes, how do you know whom to know well? Well, that is reliant on what you are looking for. We all need good people supporting us to get anything done. And in order to find these good people, first you’ll need to know what you have and what you don’t have. Then you work on patching up those deficits with people you bring to your cause. So the point is this: you need to know what you want . And for every person whom you know, that is, every person whom you interact with, you probe for the signs of whether they have the traits of the individual that you need. And you distance or attach yourself to such individuals accordingly.

Again it’s about knowing what you want and what you need in terms of social capital. Have a purpose and have a goal, the go after it.

Kingston S. Lim

September 23, 2021

Lagos, Nigeria

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About Kingston’s Journey Series: Kingston’s Journey is a lifelong series. This is the travel journal I take with me. Whether you have questions such as how to change my life or how to travel the world, I think you’ll find value in the life lessons I’ve experienced and documented in this travel notebook. They may serve as travel inspiration for you. In Chinese, there is a saying, “讀萬卷書,不如行千里路.”

This means, instead of reading ten thousand books, why don’t you walk a thousand miles. This is my inspiration to travel every nation (or as many as possible) in my pursuit of my global MBA by learning as much as possible and recording these life lessons learned only by travel. In the end, I think the achievement of dreams, personal growth & aspirations out there through travel and adventure will lead to a more fulfilling life. Living and experiencing the “now” is how I’ll make my life a great memory in the future.