Connection

Connection can happen when shared communications are personal.

This section is about the benefits, rewards and methodology for individually connecting with people on a more personal level so that intellectual, emotional, and spiritual commonalities are revealed and relationship development proceeds. This can happen with friends, family members, work associates, club members, councilors, coaches, therapist, etc. Connection means there is a link, a two-way current, a potential for an exchange. All parties to a conversation are receivers and givers whether a negative or positive transaction.

Dialog from Movie “You’ve Got Mail”

Tom Hanks:    It wasn’t personal.
Meg Ryan:     What is that supposed to mean? I’m so sick of that.
                         What is so wrong with being personal anyway?
Tom Hanks:    Ah… nothing.
Meg Ryan:      Because whatever else anything is, it ought to begin with being personal

Connection with Higher-Self

Connection with your Higher-Self is often regarded as your spirituality. Spirituality is a sense of awe, reverence, and inner peace inspired by a connection to all creation and/or that which great than oneself. Higher-self is a term associate with multiple belief systems. Some belief systems call who or what you’re are connecting with higher-power, god, heavenly father, inner wisdom, eternal self, divine within, Jesus, spiritual consciousness. Religious beliefs almost always include that the benefit of connecting will provide inner peace, understanding, and guidance. There are usually tools or methods for discovering and strengthening this connection so enlightenment happens more frequently and may increase in intensity. Spiritual tools often include the study of writings, music, meditation, limiting the practice of certain physical behaviors for periods to increase the ability to connect spiritually.

Connection with Authentic You

Authentic is defines as: “not false or copied; genuine, real; representing one’s true nature”. The influence of parents, family, growing-up-experience whether traumatic or pleasant may persuade, distract, or confuse a person about their true self. Establishing or refining your Core Values will help in the undoing or deprogramming a person from a behavior style that might not be the best fit, the real you. There are many methods and studies that can help an adult review, learn, evaluate, and begin working on establish a more authentic you and authentic behavior. Some of these are childhood memories, personality tests, interests and talents that keep manifesting in your life.

Childhood

Sometimes it hard to separate what you were told you were from your natural thoughts and reactions to people, places, animals, school, and many other encounters and youthful activities. Reflecting upon your childhood can give clue to many natural characteristics that can be identified and “owned”.

Adulthood

Your adult experience and interactions can be reviewed categorically to sort out what was real and what was cause from outside conditioning and strong cultural influence. Connection with your higher-self is very import to have to sift through your adult experience and identify why you did what you did and why you reacted the way you reacted.

Personality Tests

There are many different personality tests like like High5, Meyers-Briggs, Predictive Index, Hexaco, Eneagram, Color Code, and of course CliftonStrengths. Personality tests can be a good starting point for introspection and learning more about yourself but they are far from a perfect indication of your personality. The Big 5 model is the most scientific and empirically supported (Extroversion, Neuroticism, Open-Mindedness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness are all personality traits that have been well-established and correlate with real life outcomes.

Interests

Interests are something that automatically comes in your mind and raise you to take an action and interests light a fire in you and compel you to do more and more.

Talents

Talent refers to the natural ability to do something. It’s a natural in born ability whether it is a genetic disposition or a gift that happens through connection with your higher-self. Natural talents are a way to categorize your authentic self and are important to identify and develop their application.

Connection with Mentors

Mentors, coaches, sponsors, counselors, advisors, guides or therapists may share with a mentee (or protege) information about his or her own career path or life experiences, as well as provide guidance, motivation, emotional support, and role modeling. A mentor may help with learning about yourself, exploring careers, setting goals, developing contacts, and identifying resources. The mentor-mentee relationships is more effective when it is personal. Find a mentor that has the potential of being a friend, someone that is easy to be transparent with. Your may have different specialize mentors for different areas of your life that you are working on. Regardless of the area, mentorship is a personal relationship.

Connection with Family

Relationships with family members can be rewarding or discouraging. Sometimes our experience with family members can be the biggest reasons that we are not authentic with others. There may be emotional triggers that cause us to behave the worst with those we care about the most. That being said, “cleaning up” our relationships with family members can be the best way to cleanup our own lives and the most rewarding. Understanding, forgiveness, and cultivating sincere caring attitudes towards family members can be the most freeing and powerful work.

Connection with Friends

Friendships may have negative baggage just like family. Learning about and changing your perspective may affect they dynamics of your friendship. Good relationships with good friends will change as you get wiser and more authentic. Poor relationships will get more difficult and may become a resistant to your progress. Rely on your higher-self to know when and how to change or break off relationships. Always look for additional ways to connect more personally with existing friends and look out for new friends that may provide broader more meaningful connections.

Connection with Anyone

Most Core Values include something related to unselfishness, kindness, friendliness, and service. It’s good advice to treat everyone as if they were or could be come a friend. I have found that being personal and open to others is an invitation for them to be personal and friendly back. Many, many people are lacking connection in their lives. Many people are negative, resentful, and angry at people generally. A little friendly kindness might be ignored or it might be a small bright spot in a persons day. Try to foster the desire and behavior to connect with anyone in any authentic way. Your will frequently be surprised by positive responses.