As I sat down to write this article, I had a huge case of writer’s block. I was having trouble connecting to the topic that I’d chosen, which was, “Finding YOUR people.”
The post was originally meant to help you identify the people who can count on to support you in your life and in your work. These are the people that inspire you, that make you laugh, encourage you to think critically and with whom you’ve experienced a certain connection or compatible energy flow. These are the people whose presence leaves you feeling rejuvenated, invigorated or excited by possibilities.
As my writers block continue, I was trying to think of what to say and how to say it in a way that would to leave you, my reader, rejuvenated, invigorated, or excited. The pressure I had placed on myself began to wear on my mind. This idea that it had to be good, no, scratch that, GREAT really weighed down my creativity and I couldn’t think of anything to write.
On first glance it doesn’t sound like it would be that powerful, but it has had a profound effect on my approach to problem solving. Remembering to use this tool when facing an obstacle, forces me to focus on what I’m reacting to about a person or situation and change my perspective.
Over the past year, I’ve been identifying and reconnecting with those people in my life who are “My People.” In some ways, I feel like I had taken these relationships for granted. Some I had lost contact with over the years because, as a former boss of mine used to say, “life interfered.” Some have continued to be in my life for many years. Each one of the relationships are truly valued and I’ve made a conscious effort to connect.
Truth be told, Ciara, my Pregame editor, is one of those people. When I took a moment to look at why I was having writer’s block, I realized is that I was trying to impress someone who is already on my team. I was focusing on the outcome rather than writing the article, and as a result, I couldn’t find clarity in what I wanted to say.
By taking a moment to identify what I can learn from the situation, I was able to take my mind off of pleasing my friend and editor in order to focus on the task at hand.
Finding your people isn’t about impressing them, it’s about sharing your unique talents and gifts with them. By sharing those gifts, you’ll connect or reconnect to YOUR people. Your people find you rejuvenating, invigorating and excited by the possibilities just as they will do the same for you.
Your People Exercise
Take time to jot down 10 people from across your lifetime who you genuinely enjoy being around, who leave you energized, or who help you be your best self.
Next, identify the best qualities of that relationship and how those qualities positively influence you.
This will give you an opportunity to savor the relationships that you have in your life, while also establishing a road map to identify similar types of people in the future.
