Half the work is just showing up in person.

I’ve been trying to connect with companies across the globe. Some of them felt impossible to reach. No email responses, no willingness to hop on a call. Just silence.

Then I landed in Singapore and managed to schedule a few in-person meetings. Of course, the moment I gave a whole week of availability on site, things started to move. I met one person, who introduced me to another, who opened up the rest of the org. Suddenly I was able to make broader, more meaningful connections.

What I’m learning is that not everything needs to be planned out and pre-configured down to the last minute. Yes, if you want a focused meeting, prepare for it. But there’s a line where that turns into obsessive over-control. We’re all so busy that we start commodifying time, trying to pack every moment with purpose.

Human connection doesn’t always work like that.

It needs a little space to grow and breathe and expand. Some of the best opportunities only show up when you leave room for them to unfold. When you make yourself easy to reach, when you’re physically around, the odds go way up that something will happen.

So don’t assume you need everything perfectly pre-planned. Sometimes just going and being there creates the momentum. Show up prepared, with a sense of what you’d like to accomplish—but also trust that a lot of it will unfold naturally.

Your job is to be there, be open, and let that force work in your favor.