Nearly two months ago, I was standing on stage in front of 300 people, staying at a hotel, going in the hot tub, shaking hands, and living in our previous normal. Almost one-week later, everything had changed. The first ever episode of ‘Communicate to Motivate’ centers on the current need and desire to connect. With social distancing orders in effect due to the coronavirus pandemic, I look at how people have the genuine, innate pull to connect with others and be part of relationships.
If you look at the human body from a systems and cellular perspective, we are biologically programmed to communicate. Cells and neurons work by communicating with each other and thus motivating the system or process to function. Everything about our bodies and brains shows us that we are meant to be in relation to others in order to learn and grow as human beings. We take our cues from our surroundings and the people around us. So when all of a sudden we can no longer be around people, even temporarily, that need inside of us still remains.
Social media and the internet have helped to satisfy that need even before social distancing went into effect. Facebook reports over 2.5 billion total users (the world alone has 7.8 billion people) and amazingly enough, over 500 million people check the app every few hours. That need to connect gets satisfied by accessing Facebook or whatever social media service we are programmed to use. Social distancing has forced nearly everyone online. Many individuals and groups are sharing amazing amounts of free content like fitness workouts, songs, speeches, art, motivation, prayer, and more.
There did not seem to be any hiccups with the connection part of life, only transitions with how we did it moving from in-person to virtual. Soon will come a time when society 2.0 debuts and we learn how to re-connect in person while maintaining some of the traditions we started while staying at home. If anything, these experiences prove how much we really do need people and connections in our life to help us feel whole. This episode dives into all this and more.