As you considered last week’s blog, did decide you have a good support network? That you are supportive of others? If not, why not?
The most common reason I hear for people not developing or becoming part of someone else’s support network is a perceived inability to reach out to and connect with others. Upon further exploration, however, it becomes apparent that most of the people who tell me they’re alone or lonely don’t actually leave their houses or apartments much outside of work. Support networks don’t go knocking door to door, and those individuals who do may not be the folks you’d like to include in your support network. You’ll have to make yourself available to be included.
It’s funny how, as adults, we are often too shy to join a gym, or a book club, or take an art class yet, as kids, we did so all the time. Every year we had a new teacher, new classes and classmates, new coaches and teams, and so on. So, if we could fit into new systems and try new activities then, why not now? One would think that, with all the experience we’ve had, we’d be masters of change by the time we graduated from high school. And most of us were. What changed? As adults we had the option of not participating, not flexing, not trying, so many of us didn’t. Are you one of the ones who opted out? Would you like to opt back in? Earlier this year I referred to Matt Cutts’ TED talk about trying something new. Perhaps it’s worth revisiting. Here’s the link: https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days?referrer=playlist-for_those_who_want_to_break_ou