The Art of Creating Social Connection

Creating social connection is what I’m all about. We are at the cusp of an age of transition, and learning to connect socially is going to become one of the most important skills you can learn. For most of us, the amount of change in the past 20 years has required that we take our old “I can get by” social skills and brush them off, polish them up, and at least in my case, it required that I replace most of my social skills. Gone are the days when claiming victimhood was ok. With the “Me Too” movement, and “Black Lives Matter”, it’s becoming obvious that we are stepping into a new age. My former persona was, “poor little me, I experienced childhood trauma; my daddy was a bad guy.” That was correct as far as it went, but it didn’t investigate the process of healing I had gone through, finding forgiveness, and my new awareness of myself as a healthier, more empowered person. If I stayed in victim mode, I wasn’t healing. If I let go of victim mode and claimed my new, more healthy, more empowered self, it was time to allow myself to create a new personal image.

Enter the Empowered Babe, Warrior Goddess _{style number 3}… No, I’m kidding. But I do see myself as a more empowered person, who has transformed from a highly wounded, very judgmental, sarcastic, corporate warrior to someone who is friendly, who operates from a place of compassion, and shows a lot more kindness. I have been working with all the broken pieces – my anger, my hatred, my social shyness – and finding new ways to step up and greet the good in myself and other people. I’m bringing out the “I’m an ok person” and trying that on for size. This has taken a minute… it took about 40 years to get the way I was before, so I’m allowing myself a little extra time for creative effort to create the new me. Important point – I’m made out of the same material. I just tweaked some of the parameters… slowly.

If you’re in a place where you want to start making some change in your life, it’s never too late. One of my mentors completed her master’s degree at the tender age of 67. She’s still working and she’s now in her early 80’s. I did a complete career change in my early 50’s. If you’ve got the vitality and the determination, you have an opportunity to make changes in your life too. If you’re in your 20’s or early 30’s, even better. You’re at an optimum time to embrace personal wholeness and discover your inner wellness. Any time of life is a good time to let go of old stories, heal old scar tissue, take on some new social skills, and find your inner excellence. You’re who you are, and the best empowerment you are going to find is the empowerment that lets you be yourself.