Don’t Wait to Make Your Connection

Who among us doesn’t long for human connection? But instead of taking that first step and picking up the phone, we wait for the other person to make the first move, immobilized by our principled stubbornness. I know countless people who have cut off relationships with their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children and friends over trivial matters. Some people can’t even remember what the rift was about. As the years pass, how are your choices working to enrich your life? Perhaps you think tomorrow will be better, without any effort on your part. As we struggle to recover from a faltering economy, we squander riches that are irreplaceable: a missed hug, kiss, or expression of endearment. Its unfortunate that it sometimes takes a brush with death or a serious illness to appreciate who or what is truly important. When Douglas, a 38-year-old competitive race car driver, survived a near-fatal crash, he described feeling “reborn” and filled with gratitude for being given “another day.” As he narrowly escaped from his car, he turned to see it engulfed by flames. Although he and his wife, Kim, had filed for divorce, he rushed into her arms as she watched in horror from the stands. “There was nowhere else I wanted to be,” he told me at one of our sessions. “It made me recognize how much I love her.” Doug and Kim are still together today, working hard on keeping their love strong. Getting a glimpse of what life holds for you isn’t easy when we’re consumed with our day-to-day existence. It involves a conscious decision to stop the action, step back, and question our choices. Awakening to the power of now, the possibilities of the next moment, the fulfillment of our longings, and so years from now you will not look back in regret. “… Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but … life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.” — Gabriel GarcíaMárquez