We spend so much of our lives looking down at our schedules, our deadlines, our problems, our needs, and certainly, at our phones. Meanwhile, people are all around us. People who are hurting. People carrying burdens they rarely speak about. People feeling lonely, uncertain, ashamed, or overwhelmed. People who may simply need someone to notice…
Building healthy, human connections starts with one small act of reaching out. You must go first to take that action. Going first is like tipping the first domino in a long, intricate chain. At first, it’s just one quiet, deliberate, gentle push. But that single act sets everything else in motion. It creates momentum, invites…
Julie and I have been married for over 39 years. Our daughter, Grace, and our son-in-law, Teddy, have been married for just over 39 weeks. It’s a blessing any parent can appreciate—your little princess finding her prince. Although it was different amounts of time, both of our relationships started with being a bit vulnerable. Some…
Building human connections starts with one small act of reaching out. You must go first to take that action. Ask a room of 1,000 people if they like being complimented, and you will get 1,000 hands raised (if they are being honest with themselves). That’s because receiving a compliment primarily triggers a dopamine release in…
Social isolation is an objective condition, and loneliness is the emotional state that arises from it. According to the Surgeon General’s report, the lack of social connection poses a significant risk for individual health and longevity. Loneliness and social isolation increase the risk for premature death by 26% and 29%, respectively. Further, lacking social connection…
We have a design conflict. Humans are designed to connect for survival, and ultimately, to thrive. Technology, particularly social technology, is designed to keep you engaged with your full attention on the screen. As a result, you cannot pay attention to or connect with anyone around you. This is most evident with children. The handheld…
You wake up, roll out of bed, brush your hair so you look presentable for your first video meeting with your team, and you pop in a Keurig pod of Starbucks coffee to get your morning started.You jump from one virtual meeting to another, only turning your video on if absolutely required. You have lunch…
We just saw the movie, Toy Story 5. It is a sweet story about developing real-life friendships in today’s digital world. In the movie, two prospective young girls, Bonnie and Blaze, begin a friendship by reaching out with a sweet compliment. Bonnie tells Blaze that she likes her boots, and Blaze tells Bonnie that she…
Sticks and stones may break my bones, and words really can hurt me. Many of us grew up saying a slightly different version of the previous phrase, asserting that words could not hurt us. However, we now know that words are building blocks for our self-image and personal expectations. Our words create worlds. The English language…
I am a pretty proficient texter, although I can't hold a candle to your average teenager. I recall when I purchased my first iPhone years ago, I was typing a text to my technology partner, Harry. I was encouraging him to do what he does best. I kept is short and sweet by writing, "Just…
