Connection: It’s What We Desire, and What We’re Not Getting

Welcome back to Transformational Tuesdays! 

Every week, on Tuesday, we get together and talk a little bit about some topics that come up when we are talking about transformation. 

And what is transformation? 

For me, transformation is making real shifts in our lives. It can either be reconnecting to ourselves, or shedding something that’s been holding us back. But either way, it’s a real shift that pivots us in the continued direction of our growth of where we’re truly meant to be. 

As you know, I am a transformational life coach, and I help women leaders to really connect to that place that will allow transformation. I do that by really getting you out of the hustle and bustle that we are all in daily, and get you more connected with your heart. 

Less hustle, more heart! 

And this week, I want to talk to you about connection and how important it is — especially when we are transforming! 

When we are in transitions and changes, it’s really key that we have that good connection with the people around us. And I’m noticing lately that it’s not the case, for the most part. 

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to have a booth at the International Yoga Festival. And, you know, yoga is a great way to get connected to ourselves. As I was looking at the over 1,000 people that attended the festival, I noticed that there were a lot of people who came by themselves and didn’t interact with anybody. 

Now, I can’t know for sure, but I do know that when we go to something like this festival, we’re seeking to make a connection, or at least be around people and be around their energy. So I know it was in everyone’s hearts to go out there. 

So why did so many people seem to not be connecting? 

And this was a huge event — we were all mat to mat, so you had to touch your neighbors when you did certain poses. 

All this got me thinking about how “connected” we are on social media, but how disconnected we are in real life. 

Don’t get me wrong — I love social media. It’s a great way for me to reach out to people that I wouldn’t normally be able to interact with. 

But we’re missing some of that human connection. 

In light of this, I want to share what I’ve started doing:

I decided that I wanted to have some sort of face to face connection — literally a human being in front of me that I could hug and say, “Hello! How are you today?” — at least five times a week. 

(And it’s so funny, ever since I put it out there, it’s worked out great without me even planning it! These in-person connections have just been showing up now that I have an intention around it. Almost magically, I’ve either run into people through networking, or other types of things where others are also looking to connect.) 

So what do I do? I just go have coffee with them. And I want to know what’s going on in their lives, what they are doing, and how are they. Really simple stuff, but it’s been a really awesome thing. 

The other thing I make sure of, when I go to these get-togethers, is that there are no phones. I take my phone, turn it on silent, and then turn it upside down so that I don’t have any distractions. And for that hour, I connect with only the person in front of me. 

I know for a fact that people are craving connection, but we don’t intentionally do it. 

Even with our good friends, we might lose contact, or get so busy that we just don’t really make time for them. And I can tell that it’s wearing on people. 

So I decided to make a conscious effort in my transformation, because I know how important connection is, and how easy it is to just stay in our little shell and stay to ourselves. 

Not to mention, sometimes it feels strange, or weird, to reach out to people. But I guarantee you, they want to be connected, too. It’s almost a relief! 

So try it on for size. Reach out to somebody and say, “Hey, I haven’t talked to you in a while.” Whether it’s a friend or a colleague, let them know that you’d like to connect up with them face to face and see them. It’s one thing to have a lot of Facebook friends — that’s awesome! And it’s also great to connect in person. 

If you want to connect with me, just send me a message! We can go have coffee or tea or something.