Cultivating Connection

Deep connection is what I seek. We all do. At the root of everything we do and say is our fundamental, human desire for profound connection.

But it doesn't always look that way. Sometimes the distance between my longing and my actions is mind-boggling.

Reflect for a moment. Have you ever made a "preemptive strike" that creates disconnection, because you feared you would not get the connection you wanted?

Who hasn't? Acting aloof because we're afraid of rejection is just one example. There are countless defensive moves that create distance when what we really want is closeness.

But even as there are innumerable ways we get in our own way, there are infinite ways to make the choice to connect.

Brené Brown illuminates the power of empathy to cultivate connection with others, in any context.

When I watched this animated short (excerpted from a longer talk), I saw in a flash how I have used sympathy to avoid uncomfortable feelings that arise in me (in the face of another person's feelings), sidestepping my capacity for empathy and missing an opportunity to experience the connection I crave.

Humbling…and hopeful.