Tag: connecting

Most of us don’t realize how frequently we are checked out of our life. We struggle to stay present in the day-to-day with the never-ending onslaught of digital feeds and new devices that offer superficial connectivity at best, but we lose out on the true contact that feeds our soul and makes us human. More and more scientific research is showing how much we give up when we trade the voyeurism of social media for the real-time relating that makes us feel seen and heard.

Even more disturbing is how we are losing the muscle memory to do the messy and gratifying work of truly showing up, risking our heart, and communicating. It is in the trenches of our life, in the mess of people’s feelings spilling over onto us that we are really connected and that we can offer our best self.

"Often, it’s not about becoming a new person, but becoming the person you were meant to be, and already are, but don’t know how to be.”  ~ Heath Buckmaster

Lately when I am up in the middle of the night pondering (some might say ruminating) on the sea changes moving through my life, I remember that if I can’t change my mind, I can’t change anything else.

It’s ironic because often during the daylight hours, I am the instigator of change, the one leading the charge to shift the strategic initiatives of Good Clean Love, or the one haplessly leading a bevy of subcontractors in a new home construction.

"We do not learn by experience, but by our capacity for experience." ~ The Buddha

I have been warning against the massive shift of our attention to social media for years now. I wasn’t surprised when a bunch of studies recently came out confirming my worst fears-–that social media is not really social and that the more that we do it, the worse we feel about ourselves. But new evidence suggests that the influence social media is inflicting on our youth may just be destroying it. Coined the I-Generation, the statistics are both dangerously overwhelming and unparalleled in any previous generation. Not only are the rates of depression and suicide multiplying, but the actual capacity to be with other human beings, to share space is at its lowest ebb. Maybe this is how the hunger games started.

You want to join the women-helping-women movement and you’re looking for opportunities to make deeper, more meaningful connections; opportunities to support each other, and to make the world a better place. However, just going to a conference, fundraiser or team meeting isn’t enough. You have to know what comes next—what to say or do to connect with other women in ways that yield real relationships and change lives (including yours) for the better.

Competing with other women is out. Connecting with other women to share ideas, work together on projects, and offer support is in. The changes brought about by the global economy have made collaboration and innovation must-have skills, and the great news is that women tend to be naturals at them. And that is why the women-helping-women movement is really picking up steam.

We’re making a shift to what I call "Connecting 2.0." It’s more meaningful than the "mile-wide and inch-deep" type of connecting we associate with social media. It’s based on sharing and co-creating, not self-interest. It’s authentic, it feels good, and it works.