Connection

Why does it seem like people are afraid to show others who they truly are? I attended a women's conference once, a long time ago, and I posed that question to the group. "Why do we hide our true selves from one another?" It raised a lively discussion and I saw breakthroughs happening all over the place. But that wasn't the most fabulous part of the conference. Not really, not for me. The most fabulous part was finding a woman who didn't know anyone else at this gathering, taking her aside, and spending time with her one on one. I listened to her struggles and helped her to find solutions to them.

It's all about who and what you're connected to, isn't it?

I see people every day, longing for meaningful connection and having a very difficult time finding what they crave the most. I've come to conclude that many of the questions that I have (and I'm sure that you have, too) about the distance between all of us in a world of constant connectivity is simply this: fear is winning over connection. Fear is in the lead. There is a devastating epidemic happening around us where people have convinced themselves that they are too busy to connect with other people. Social media has taken the place of a genuine, real-time connection with other people. My last post was about happiness -- the soul-satisfying type that doesn't go away when you have a bad day or when you've hit a rough patch. Connecting to other people in meaningful and purposeful ways has so much to do with this type of happiness.

I challenge you today. Stop hiding. Stop hiding behind a screen, fronting with fear, and letting "I'm too busy" qualify as an excuse. Take the initiative to interact with your world with purpose and joy. Reach out to an old friend and make a date to get together. Give a small gift to your coworker or neighbor just because you can. See how it makes them feel. See how it makes you feel. I'm going to make a guess (but I'm a pretty good guesser) that you're going to feel wonderful. And so will they. Connection is the key to a meaningful life.