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Tag: connection

A free ebook

Something big is happening. A movement is bubbling, rising to the surface. And it’s about relationships.

People are recognizing the true value of connection. They are refusing to settle for superficial conversation and are looking for relationships that hold real meaning in their lives. More and more individuals are organizing, coming together, creating change. The capacity for what can happen when the right people find themselves united is infinite.

We each have the ability to contribute to this movement by creating more connections in our own world.

I’ve written a free ebook to encourage you to do so. I hope that after reading, you’ll be inspired to bring together the people in your circle, in whatever way you can. A dinner party is a great way to start.

A certain moment

There’s a moment you realize you’ve been living a lie. In fact, you haven’t really been living at all, you’ve just been going through the motions. You’ve performed what’s expected of you, doing what it takes to make it to five o’clock.

Suddenly, you realize that you possess the distinct power to create the life you thought was reserved only for others.

You recognize that you can choose to step in the direction of your dreams.

You finally realize that no one else can dictate your journey. You don’t have to wait to be put in the game. You can build a happy ending. You can choose to be the star.

If you haven’t had this moment yet, find people who have and ask them to help you get there yourself.

Who are you looking for?

There are lots of people in this world, and most of us want to connect.

We visit bars, churches, gyms, groups, conferences, events, concerts, and parties hoping to meet someone who might send our world into a tailspin and infuse our life with new meaning.

We look for ways to deepen our existing relationships and simultaneously want to expand our network, expose ourselves to new options, and find different ways of doing things. We want to become better.

As business professionals, we attend seminars hoping to interact with someone who can offer insight into our work and challenge our beliefs. We sign up for groups, add ourselves to lists, fill our calendars with coffee dates, and comb our friends’ friends for people who might add value to our world.

With so many people looking, why are so many failing?

I recently spoke to a very charming, engaging entrepreneur who attended an expertly planned conference. Top players in international policy dappled the schedule, and high-profile keynotes lectured every hour. From the get-go, testimonials gushed all of the wonderfulness of the event, and sign-up sheets offered prime opportunities for attendees to market their businesses. Yet a very eager impresario walked away feeling like something was missing. Despite an impeccable schedule, he didn’t feel he had the opportunity to connect with others.

Information gleaned from speakers is surely helpful, inspiring, informative, but what’s the most valuable aspect of an event? Relationships. Think about the expertise in the room, just waiting to be accessed.

Yes, it can be difficult to strum up conversations in professional environments. It isn’t easy to approach strangers and put yourself on the line. It’s hard to be vulnerable.

How often do you step outside of your comfort zone?

What if you found yourself in a situation in which you didn’t know what to expect? You’re not sure who is going to be there, what you’re getting yourself into. Would the connections be different?

What if the only thing you knew is that you wanted to take something meaningful from the experience?

What if you approached your life that way?

Using technology to enrich our greatest assets, our relationships

Our worlds have been taken over by likes, friends, retweets, follows. Critics stand watch, ready to advocate for the unplugging of our ever-increasing connectedness. Yet we’ve proven that intention and connection can go hand in hand (Consider TED, Social Media Week, and Creative Mornings — fine examples of technology and social media combining to deepen our relationships).

But it takes effort.

I’ve offered a few tips on how we can enrich our online and offline connections through social media and tech to create meaningful interactions through questions, a bit of serendipity, and time away from tablets and screens.

Read the original post I wrote for Social Media Week here.

Please take your (assigned) seat.

We can’t help it. Our titles are plastered onto our business cards, resumes, and online profiles. Our calling cards for connection are marred by our need to assimilate information quickly and efficiently. We’re grouped in terms of experience, what we can offer, where we’ve been, or even who we know.

But we don’t have to view this as a hard boundary.

C-level, mid-level, entry level, outsider — there’s something to be gained from looking above and below and beyond.

Leave assigned seating arrangements to airplanes and wedding parties. See which lines you can cross.

Are you just as intentional offline?

Social media platforms are ideal networking resources, places to find like-minded individuals and spark creative rainstorms. Brands and customers and clients and students and businesses can deepen experiences.

  1. Customers can voice the impact products have in their lives.
  2. Contests engage audiences.
  3. Features demonstrate the breadth and reach of services.
  4. Employee knowledge can be showcased.
  5. Range of expertise is amplified.
  6. Employee investment propels company value, as people care more and are held accountable for their words.
  7. Really good community organizers act as matchmakers, connecting environments and individuals.

Our interconnectedness has made it that much easier to collaborate with other key players and start dialogue with those who might otherwise be out of reach. The opportunities are seemingly endless, accessible, immediate—yours for the taking.

But it doesn’t stop online.

Don’t forget about what’s waiting for you once the laptop closes and you power your device down.