Each year, I pick a word to represent my intentions, goals and fuel my decisions about where I am headed. Over the last 5 years, I have picked mostly words that motivate me to climb in my career and level up in life.
This year is different. After tackling a number of challenges in 2021, I learned a lot. I learned the power of people. I learned the power of community. I learned the power of love. Losing my mom was one of the hardest things I have ever endured, but the people in my life are the reason I came out the other side. I was overwhelmed with how many people reached out, sent flowers and food, picked up the phone and called, traveled across the country, and poured into my life to ensure my dad and I did not go through this process alone.
There are things in life that come and go, but connections are not replaceable. Humans were not built to navigate life alone and the last 2 years have deeply challenged that. Humans were designed to be part of a community. We evolved to have family, friends, support, love, and compassion. Humans were meant to be in a village. The last two years have ripped that away. For the last two years, we have been told to isolate ourselves for our own safety.
We also live in an instant world. A world where it has become easy to “communicate” by texting and liking a post on social media. We are in a culture where picking up the phone no longer exists. Deep connections and conversations have gone by the wayside. They have become less of a priority. Even when we are physically with people, a huge percentage of people are addicted to the scroll.
Speaking of the scroll, if you haven’t gone into your phone and checked your screen time it is terrifying. I was shocked the first time I looked at how much I am on my phone a day- it was embarrassing!
Here is my challenge to you- spend true quality time with people you care deeply about. Uninterrupted, focused time. Put your phone away, have meaningful conversations, and be present. No more scrolling, no more checking emails. None of it.
Being present has a lot of positives in your personal life, work-life, relationships- everything. I have never been a huge fan of the term “work-life balance” because I really don’t believe that it’s something that’s possible. What I do deeply believe in is work-life presence. When I say that, I mean being fully present in your work and then in your personal life. This means hard, firm boundaries. When you are at work you are 100% work, when you are doing life, you are 100% life- No checking work emails that can wait until tomorrow at the dinner table alright?
So let me come full circle here. My 2022 word of the year is Connection.
When I broke down what I wanted out of the next year, it really came down to wanting to be present and connected with other people. I want to connect with people on a different level. I want to appreciate, love, and know people. Let me repeat that, I want to truly KNOW people. I don’t want to just know where they work and how many kids they have- I want to deeply understand their background, who they are, and why they believe what they believe. When you take time to connect with people, you may realize that we aren't all that different. You may find things you find that are similar or totally different. You may discover that someone you thought you were friends with is someone you don't know much about at all. You may uncover people’s struggles, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. Which is all a good thing. Because like I mentioned earlier- we are humans and supposed to be in a community. We are supposed to love and support each other.
Drop a comment on social media and let me know what your 2022 word of the year is. I am so in love with learning what people are aiming towards.
I also want to chat with you. I want to connect with you. If you are in my area, let’s grab coffee or dinner. Let’s just chat and hang out. I want to know you, too!
