Network (033)

I’ve always been hesitant to network with people. Reasonably expectant with my hesitance to trust people due to certain life events, I found it difficult to connect with people in a professionally meaningful way. With the resonance of the phrase and idea behind “Break Up with Your Bullshit,” the script has been completely flipped upside down. Even through discussions of creating a community based around creative endeavors, it didn’t occur to me until tonight that this process is networking at its best. 

Michelle Akin has gathered a group of creative people all around the American continent that have me wanting to stay connected long after our Bullshit Rehab stint is over. Hearing the creative processes, struggles, and triumphs of others is more rewarding than I could have imagined. 

This evening, in our third weekly circle meeting, many of us commiserated that this has been a particularly tough week, and noted that we knew other people in the same boat. We discussed how we would work to better our wellbeing in the coming week, with many helpful and thoughtful ideas shared. When the meeting ended, my heart was full. I have no other way to describe the elation that coursed its way through my body. 

I had grabbed my laptop to write this blog entry when I was notified via Twitter that Deborah Mourey’s Zoom meeting about finding meaningful work was starting soon, at 8pm. I jumped on it. She wrote a book called An Authentic Human’s Guide to Finding Meaningful Work, and the title really is the best explanation. When I joined, I had no clue what to expect—would there be a hundred people or ten? Who I found was Deborah and five other young, authentic humans across the globe. The discussion we had about rewards, flipping the idea of what meaningful work is, and how to network, was refreshing and opened my eyes to the possibilities I no longer want to miss out on.

My mind was blown over the fact that I am meeting and connecting with some of the coolest people on this planet, and I sat here flabbergasted—okay, still am—by who I have been connecting with lately. On top of that, I have found meaning in the work I am doing. That itself is the best reward I could ask for.