I recently sent an email with the subject line, "Will You Join Me in Chicago on July 19?" to people who have attended my webinars and workshops over the last few years. The body of the email detailed a meetup that I've organized–dinner at a favorite restaurant near the campus of Northwestern University, my alma mater.  (I'm speaking there on the 20th to a group of chemincal engineering grad students on networkiing.)

I expected only those in the Chicago area to respond.

To my surprise, I heard from someone in Oslo ("Can I get a raincheck? I'm 5,000 miles away!"), someone near London ("Sorry, I'll be in Milan that day.") and others around the US.

But the biggest surprise is when I heard from a friend in San Francisico and I replied by nudging him  to get out of his comfort zone.  The next day, I found an email in my inbox with the subject line, "Accepted" and in the body of the email was one sentence:

"I'll see you in 9 days."

I was stunned. Which prompted me to write a blog post titled, "Why Traveling 2,000 Miles for Dinner is Crazy Brilliant."

What I've discovered is that:

being outrageous leads to….

being remarkable leads to…

all sorts of magic.

Good stuff happens that no one could have ever planned for.

 

Join Me in Chicago on July 19

Wherever you are located, think about joining me for a meetup on Thurs, July 19. You’ll be in the company of interesting, accomplished people who are interested in hearing what you are up to.

Here are the details.

* What: A great meal and wonderful conversation with fascinating professionals from my community
* When: Thurs, July 19, at 6:30pm
* Where: Dave’s Italian Kitchen (davesik.com), 1635 Chicago Ave, Evanston
* RSVP by 5pm ET on July 18 to carol[at] myalumnilink.com. I need to give the restaurant a count the day before.

Bonus: If you travel from another state to get to Chicago, I will  pay for your dinner. (Hear that, my friends in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan?)

I can’t wait to see who shows up!