5 min 30 second read
Connection & Bring About Happy
As an entrepreneur, I’ve diligently built a business with intentionality and purpose. Early on, I sat down to hone in on and develop my business mission and values to use as a guiding star.
Brainstorming a list of potential values, I initially had 12-15 words that closely embodied my vision. As I sat with the words and considered the meanings on a deeper level, a handful of words really struck me — One of those words was connection.
Connecting with others in a meaningful way has always been a big part of my life. Many of my fondest memories are linked to creating (and maintaining) authentic connections with friends, family members, community members, and even customers.
Connection is a foundational value here at Bring About Happy. Here’s where we stand with it; after that, we’ll uncover the significance in greater detail:
Connection as a Value at Bring About Happy
Human connection is an essential part of life. We strive to create a space where you can connect with others who understand what you are going through—and accept you for it.
Defining Connection
Connection (noun): a relationship in which a person, thing, or idea is linked or associated with something else. (Oxford Languages)
The act of connecting is a state of being connected. (Merriam-Webster)
In order to form a connection, we must be intentional in our desire to connect.
When we form a connection, it cultivates a feeling of being connected.
Connected (adjective): 1. brought together or into contact to establish a real or notional link. 2. associated or related in some respect. (Oxford Languages)
Everything about the word connect and its variations are beautiful!
The Power of Connection
In an increasingly digitized world, the power of human connection cannot be understated. Given the way we interact these days, are we truly connecting?
Our modern world is seriously limiting our socialization to the internet — or social media. And that can leave us feeling isolated and alone. We might have hundreds (or even thousands) of friends on social media, but in reality, we are disconnected.
If you aren’t doing a bulk of your interacting with people online, think about this: Have you ever found yourself surrounded by people who don’t know the real you? As in, you don’t feel comfortable having an open and honest conversation with them? When we superficially interact with others, it can leave a massive void in our innate desire to feel seen, heard, and understood for our true selves.
Genuine connections are more important than ever!
We are social creatures, and our need for connection is fundamental — after all, humans with strong social ties are more likely to survive and thrive.
The mental and physical health benefits of connecting are undeniable. It can help reduce stress, promote relaxation, and even boost immunity. And in a world filled with division and conflict, creating connections can be a powerful tool for peace and understanding.
Whether it’s a hug from a loved one or a soul-filling conversation with your bestie, you know you’ve felt better after connecting with another human being who sees, accepts, and welcomes who you are at that moment.
Moreover, when we connect with others, we open up the possibility for true intimacy. We let down our guard and reveal our true selves. Being vulnerable might not always show the best parts of ourselves, but it is an essential component of a deep and meaningful bond.
It’s soooo important to make an effort to connect with others in an honest and meaningful way. Personally, I have a list of things that energize me and hanging out with real deal, genuine friends is on it. You know the lockdowns in the early days of the COVID pandemic made you understand the need for connection at a visceral level because your social cup was empty. Even this introvert was struggling with being home without interacting with my friends IRL. (Okay, maybe I’m really an ambivert. LOL)
Connection at the Heart of My Business Values
Given the shifts in the way we interact with others and our innate need to feel a sense of belonging, it only makes sense that connection is at the heart of my business values. Just in case you need a little more, here are five reasons why:
1. Connection builds relationships of trust and respect.
To build relationships, we must create positive connections. Through this, we can build trust. When we nurture relationships and prove (time and time again) that we are a trustworthy person or business, it results in respect.
As a business, nurturing relationships with my customers to ensure you trust and respect me and my business is critical. However, I want you to know creating connections is not just for the sake of establishing trust and respect; it is something I live on a daily basis.
2. Connection leads to more meaningful interactions.
When we have surface-level interactions, it results in superficial connections. When we allow vulnerability to show up, it creates a foundation for valuable relationships.
Personally, when I’ve let my guard down (aka vulnerability) with the right people, it’s resulted in some of the best conversations in my life. And more importantly, it allowed all of us involved in the conversation to feel deeply connected.
3. Connection creates a sense of belonging and community.
Let’s face it — we all want to belong to something. It’s the reason why religions thrive, it why we cults are formed, and why so many people use websites like Meetup. We are all trying to belong. Belonging is undeniably at the core of being a human. When we belong, we find our community. And it feels good to know who our people are — through the good and bad times.
Whew. This one hits close to home. As a 30-ish adult trying to make friends in a new city (and state!), it was hard to find my people and feel like I had a place to belong. (Side note: WTF is it so hard to make friends in your 30’s? If you’ve ever had to rebuild a friend group in your third decade of life or later, you know what I mean by this!). I don’t want this for others, so I make it a point to create a community around me.
4. Connection allows us to better understand and empathize with others.
When we take time to connect with people, we open the door to learning. We learn different viewpoints and perspectives about life. We are more capable of embodying empathy and compassion. By understanding each other and empathizing with their situation, we are better suited to create meaningful relationships.
If we could get more people on board with understanding one another, we’d have far more peace on this earth. Now, this doesn’t mean we need to agree on everything. But, accepting our difference and focusing on all the ways we are similar would result in some unexpected changes.
Yes, I use this platform to talk about things, such as life lessons we all experience. But, I assure you, when the time is right my mouth is closed and my ears are open; I am here to listen to understand.
5. Connection is essential for personal and professional growth.
When we create connections with others, it helps us to grow. To grow is a critical element of life. Put it this way: if we aren’t growing, we are dying. Therefore, growth is our lifeline. When we grow as individuals, we help pave the way for others to succeed. When we develop as a professional, our growth touches even more lives.
Connection facilitates growth, positively influencing our lives and those around us. My intention with Bring About Happy is to create a culture focused on acceptance and development — accepting the things that cannot change and positively pursuing meaningful change.
The Value of Connection Over Everything Else
In a world that is increasingly driven by technology, it’s easy to get lost in our own little bubble. We can go days without talking to another human being or end up engaging with our devices or social media rather than the people around us. But what if you found happiness through human connection? Yep, connection is the antidote to loneliness.
The more connected we are to others, the happier and healthier we are. So if you want to improve your life, focus on creating and maintaining connections with the people around you. It may seem like a small change, but it can have a significant impact. That’s what Bring About Happy is all about.