Mining for Success: One Golden Nugget at a Time

It was a warm August day in 2013 when my friend Karan came rushing up to me, excitedly exclaiming, "Hey Pankaj, I visited a place and I feel it can be beneficial to you." Karan and I had a close relationship, and I knew he wouldn't suggest something that wouldn't help me grow. Without hesitation, I asked him to register me for whatever it was.

The next week, I found myself stepping out of the elevator at 6:30 in the morning for my first-ever BNI meeting. I felt a sense of excitement and anticipation, not knowing what to expect but somehow feeling like I was in the right place. The warm welcome from everyone there only added to my positive feelings.

As the meeting began, I was struck by the organization's philosophy of "Givers Gain."

People were there to help each other grow by giving referrals without expecting anything in return. It was a refreshing change from the usual barter mentality I had seen elsewhere.

Despite feeling nervous, I was asked to share my feelings about being there in a room of 70 people. I remember the shiver in my knees and the tremble in my voice because this was the first time I had that kind of opportunity. But as I looked around, I realized that all these people were there to help each other grow in every possible way, and this was one of those ways.

When I joined BNI, Mr. Madhup was assigned to me as a?mentor. And just when I was about to start planning my meetings with my chapter members, he advised me to…”Go slow and meet people at my own pace”.?

“Why?” I asked. “Wouldn’t it be good to meet as many people as I can so I can start getting referrals?”

“Most of us don’t get referrals because of what we do,” he replied. I was astonished. To answer my silent question, he continued: “When you meet people, you share your story and hear theirs. When you exchange your golden nuggets, you not only learn new ways of doing things but develop a bond, and business comes through that bond.”?

Clearly confused by what it meant, I asked Madhup, "What is a golden nugget? Are they going to give me gold?"?

He smiled at me and said,

"No. Understanding what and how people have done things in their life when they fell, and how they came out of it is true learning.

From each journey, you can collect golden nuggets or treasures which will change your life.” Believe me, to this day, I remember every word which opened the door to collecting golden nuggets for me.

Ever since that enlightening day, I attended more chapters and kept meeting new people. I realized that collecting nuggets was like soaking up everything of value.

I talked to people about their lives until I find a resonance, an 'aha' moment, or something that I can take note of so that I can use those learnings in the future.

It was extraordinary to see situations that business owners faced and what they had accomplished in their lives despite the circumstances.

So far, I have done over a thousand one-to-ones with people, and you can imagine the number of golden nuggets I am carrying with me today. Through this journey of collecting golden nuggets and learning from people, I have grown manifold. As a result of my learnings, I am now an Executive Director of BNI. I have my own chapters where I passionately help members learn to collect these golden nuggets, which in turn will help them change their lives.?

Pankaj Gupta?

Executive Director - BNI DEIRA