by Sherri Edwards

When networking is recommended as a way of maintaining career fitness, I hear many excuses for why it is not possible, or at the very least, very difficult. Goal-setting times provide a good opportunity to take a long hard look at what is really in the way for most people when it comes to making a change in their personal and professional lives. Perhaps examining common responses will make it easier for many people to identify the excuses they are using, kick away the barriers and make a new plan for career success.

One observation I have made over the past 10 years is that the words "commitment" and "planning" seem to be foreign to many people. In an age of instant gratification, it seems evident that some things just don't happen immediately, yet there are scores of people who want things to be different, right now, without exerting any effort to make a change.

You think not? Let's take a look at a couple of pretty comparable situations. Let's compare physical fitness to career fitness. We'll start with the obvious of the two: physical fitness.

People want to lose weight, so they take pills, buy pre-measured food, go to spas, and try diets that clearly jeopardize their health. They take the pills, drink the liquid diets, and may work out for a while, but slowly lose interest. After a while, they resort back to their old eating patterns and gain more weight than they had lost. What are their excuses for not creating a change in their eating habits that can be sustained, or for not continuing with a workout regimen before they resort to the next fad?

"I don't have time because I work full-time."

"I have children with after-school activities that take precedence."

"I am working full-time and I am tired at night."

"I can't this month. I have to plan a 50th wedding anniversary party."

"I don't have time to cook. I am studying for my master's degree".

"It's a holiday. I can't work out on a holiday."

"I can't afford a gym membership" (as they sit in their leather recliner and watch their 72" plasma television screen, before they get in their Land Rover to drive to their $75 manicure appointment or their four-hour golf game where they will ride around in a $5,000 cart.)

Now, let's swap objectives and identify the reasons people give for not committing to networking activities that may increase the effectiveness of their job search or career development:

"I don't have time because I am working a temp job (or working full-time)."

"I have children with after-school activities that take precedence."

"I am working full-time and I am tired at night."

"I can't this month. "I have to plan a 50th wedding anniversary party."

"I don't have time. I am studying for my master's degree."

"It's a holiday. I can't network on a holiday."

And let's not omit:

"I can't afford the costs of meetings or memberships" (as they sit in their leather recliner and watch their 72" plasma television screen, before they get in their Land Rover to drive to their $75 manicure appointment…)

The reality is, any new outcome requires a change in thinking, a change in behavior, commitment to the end result, planning, and consistency. Networking requires a change in how you look at your current circumstances and the roadblocks in front of you. It requires a commitment to your goal of broadening your contacts and maintaining relationships, planning so that you can fit networking activities in with all of life's other events, and consistency. There is no magic pill. Building and sustaining a network doesn't happen overnight any more than physical fitness can.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

For more than a decade, Sherri Edwards has been shaping people's lives and helping organizations resolve their customer-service and human-resource issues through her personal coaching, consulting services, and training classes. Her extensive background in recruiting, staffing, sales, service, and training well qualifies her to help individuals make the most of their job search and to help businesses make the most of their resources and talent. Reach her through her Web site: ResourceMaximizer, or e-mail her at sherri@resourcemaximizer.com.

Be sure to take advantage of all the career networking tools, articles, and resources found in our The Art of Career Networking section of Quintessential Careers.