The Need to Connect

Last week, I wrote about how we tend to inadvertently hurt each another due to our inherent weaknesses as human beings. However, the need to connect is so strong that we still try and reach out to one other despite our tendency to let each other down occasionally. Why is that? Here are 3 possible reasons:

1) We all have something to offer – We were all born with unique gifts. We share them with the world through our jobs or businesses. Few people like to keep their gifts hidden. For the most part, I think that people like to share our talents to simply express themselves or to make the world a better place. Those of us that are more attuned to their gifts – and are able to develop these to a very high level and also share these with as many people as possible – tend to be happier and better rewarded financially, from what I’ve seen.

2) No one wants to live (or die) alone – Few people would like to go through life by themselves. Most of us, I think, would prefer to raise families – or have a life partner at least – to be around us throughout our lives. Having friends and loved ones simply makes our journey through life more manageable. At work, it becomes a whole lot easier to achieve goals and make an impact in the community with the help of others. People who always bring value to the table – and who are known to be important contributors – tend to keep their jobs or stay in business the longest, usually.

3) We’re all really capable of goodness – I do believe that human beings are really decent deep down inside. We can all do incredibly generous things if given the chance. You only need to look at the outpouring of support during a big disaster, like the recent tsunami in Japan, to see how caring many people are. We just need to develop the habit of looking out for each other 24/7. On the flip side, we also need to be more forgiving (and forgetful) of the little hurts that we cause each other on a daily basis and be more open and communicative of our feelings and desires so that other people know how to treat us properly.

Dr. Stephen Covey, the author of the classic 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE, spoke about how people need to develop the habit of constantly making “emotional deposits”, or doing good deeds for one another, be it our members of our family, bosses, co-workers or business clients. That way, whenever we make those occasional “withdrawals” (or cause pain because of thoughtless words or actions), then it becomes easier to forgive – and ultimately to live (or work) with – one another.

Photo by Javier Ignacio Acuña Ditzel