Is anyone else singing that damn One Republic song now? Do yourself a favor and make that song an Erectile Dysfunction advertisement by changing the word “Connection” to a word that starts with “E”
I’ll wait…
Now that you’re done laughing and have that song permanently ruined for you, the reason for this post is to talk about a word that seems to keep coming up for me in all areas of my life. That word is CONNECTION.
I have entered a time in my life in which I crave making deep and meaningful connections with people. I want to hear other people’s stories, I want to learn more about them, and I don’t want superficial experiences.
By nature I’m more of an introvert (in case you care to know) I’d rather hang out at home with my husband, kids, and dog then go out. I am overwhelmed by large crowds, tight spaces, and close contact with people I don’t know. I will share parts of myself with you with ease, but others it may take years for me to let you in because I just don’t know that I can trust you to that level. You can see how this need for deeper connection could be problematic.
All day long I exchange energy with my clients and the people that I have to interact with; from friendly patrons at the gym to the moms at preschool drop off. On the days that I work I am depleted of emotion and energy by the time I get home. It is a shitty situation for my kids those couple nights, but I pride myself in giving that part of myself whole-heartedly to my clients.
What I began to notice when we returned from vacation this year, was that we lacked connections with people outside of our 4 walls. We had just spent 2 weeks bouncing around and visiting with friends in the Midwest (from Indiana to Michigan, Ohio, to Arkansas) and I came home with a full heart. This was in June.
From June to November, we have hung out with people less times then I can count on one hand. By “hanging out” I mean engaging with intention with other people besides direct members of our family. Even writing that out loud is pitiful. The “we” is my husband and I as a couple. I engage with people everyday, but in the past few months I have mindfully and intentionally put myself in situations that are outside of my comfort zone yet a place to create conversation and connection with others.
As I embrace the transition of being a general population personal trainer and Jill-of-all trades to a Woman, Mother and Coach that serves women on their motherhood journeys specifically, I find that connection is more important to me then it ever has been before.
It’s easy for someone that has maybe a handful of people even reading this to say, but I don’t care if I only touch the life of one or two people. If it means that I have a connection and a deeper then just the surface experience with those individuals then what I set out to do has been successful.
As I go back to singing my new version of “Connection” I’m taking on today as the person that I know I want to present to the world. A person that seeks connection with others, hears their stories, maybe shares some of her own, and allows for something greater then just a surface level experience take place.
Until next time Awesome Humans
S