Making Connetions

A while ago I came up with my own way of thinking about the basics of “self”.

There are four aspects: body, soul, mind, and spirit.

• The Body is that which Acts
• The Soul is that which Feels
• The Mind is that which Thinks
• The Spirit is that which creates and connects

Today I want to talk about the spirit and one of it’s two main functions: making connections.

In my mind, to have a healthy social life you need two parts (the two parts of the spirit): creation and connection.

Creation is time for self (consider also the term re-creation) and involves looking inward to see and ask and know who we are.  This is vital to having a healthy social life, but I’ll talk about why that is in another post.

Connection is being with others and more than just being near them, but connecting with them, finding that common thread, that bond between you and nurturing that.

I’ve been doing a lot of connecting lately (which is good for me because natural inclination is to focus more inward on the “creation” side of the spirit).  Mostly this has been a function of my business growing, but I am finding it interesting the friendships that start to develop and the further connections one makes the more one connects.

Today I had a meeting with someone and learned about a whole new area I could be looking into to volunteer and make even more connections.  I would have never learned that if I hadn’t of met this man today.

It was that which got me thinking about this important aspect of connection and how it links back with my “model” of the self.

One of the happiness building activities I work with people on is “nurturing relationships” which to me is simply another way of saying connecting to people.  There is happiness to be found here.

It is not hard to do, though it comes more naturally to some than to others, it simply involves being interesting in someone else and talking to them until you find where your interest connects with their interests.

So if you are someone who tends to look inward more than out, who tends to avoid even trying to connect with others, I encourage you to start doing some research.  Start looking for interests you have that others might have and where you might find others that have that interest.  Then get out every now and then and connect.  It fulfills you in a way “creation” can’t (just as creation fulfills in a way that connection can’t).

So until the next time – keep laughing and make some connections.