Michael Jordan didn't stop learning how to be a great player in that high school clinic though. He kept on practicing and learning until he got into NBA. Then he kept at it more and more until it just became a way of life. He even was able to apply same skill of continual learning to become a good baseball and golf player. People like to talk about how Michael fell short of expectations in these other sports but reality is his being able to transition to those other sports was nothing short of amazing, even though he wasn't able to play at level of athletes who had been playing those other sports as long as he'd been playing basketball.

QUESTION FROM A SUBSCRIBER:

I have been out of work for several years, and am now looking to get back into workforce. I know they say that networking is preferred way to find jobs, buy I haven't talked to my old network for over two years. I feel reluctant to call people I haven't talked with in several years, since it's obvious that I'm only calling to see about help finding a job, no matter how I couch it. I'm over 50 which I know doesn't help. I should add that when I first started looking (before having to stop), my contacts weren't helpful. Is it worth trying them anyway?

-D.S.

Dear D.S.,

It always makes sense to try networking with people you already know when looking for finding a job. Even if they weren't able to help you a couple years ago. People are constantly meeting new people, so people in your contacts' networks have changed since you last talked to them and some of them may be in a better position to help you. The average professional person has at least 200 contacts in their rolodex. Even if you have only a fraction of that number in yours, let's say 50, you still have potentially 10,000 people who can help you find a job because 50 times 200 = 10,000. The key is to motivate people in your network to make them want to help you land a new position.

You are right that when you first make contact with people you haven't talked to for a while, at least some of them will believe your only motivation is to get help finding a job. That is not necessarily a bad thing. People understand how important it is to have a job and most people in this world are good-natured and want to be helpful. Even if you just reach out to people in your network and explicitly ask them for help finding a job, you will most likely get some positive responses. However, if you want to get people to really go to bat for you and to really think about who they might know that could help you, there has to be something in it for them -- whether it's a professional motivation or a personal one.