Starbucks says ‘It’s fleeting – but it’s a start. It’s a moment of recognition that you are there. Your request has been heard and the way it is delivered signals care.’
Every one of us has a deep and fundamental desire to be seen and heard and to know that we matter. How can you feed this hunger in the people you interact with?
Here are some ideas.
- You ask a question and your question says ‘I’m interested in what you think’.
- You smile at a child excitedly skipping and dancing – and your smile says ‘I’m happy to see you having fun’.
- Your face lights up at the sight of a friend – and your expression says ‘I’m glad to see you’.
- You check whether your strategy will work for others – and your checking says ‘I want things to work for both of us’.
- You open your arms to hold a crying child – and your gesture says to him ‘you’re safe’.
- You hear the sadness and fear behind your partner’s anger – and your perceptiveness says ‘I’m listening, not judging you’.
- You encourage your daughter’s dreams about her future – and your encouragement says ‘I share your dreams’.
- You offer your friend a shoulder to cry on – and your offer says ‘I feel for you’.
- You reach out to your parents – and your actions say to them ‘I want to help. You don’t have to struggle by yourselves’.
- You offer to help a friend – and your offer says ‘I noticed what you were needing’.
The message is: I see you. I hear you. You matter to me.
When you reciprocate, I experience ‘connection’.
What moments of connection have you experienced today? Where have you reached out? Who has reached out to you?