Before I start writing: Watch it here.
I saw this advert a while ago, and whilst my heart is all for Yorkshire Tea (as everybody knows) - I thought it made an excellent point. Right at the beginning of my blogging days, I posted about 'Private Life' (scroll down my page and take a look after!) and this need we feel to share so much of our lives online. I hold my hands up and say I am guilty as charged, as those of you who know me are probably thinking right now. I guess it's just become a part of life for us all really, it's almost become a bit of a reflex in some ways. See, I take photos all the time. Usually of things that I love, things that inspire me, nature, coffee or family and I just share it. If those things are important to me, people might care. Or, perhaps not.
This advert addresses this issue so well. Instead of throwing on facebook that 'we have a new job' or 'we're going on holiday' why don't we instead call up our closest friends, the ones who actually care and share it with them first? Lately, I've spent a lot of time on the phone, catching up with people who think they are calling me for 5 minutes and then boom, an hour has passed. But I LOVE that because we are sharing life! Talking is good. I am also quite famous for sitting in coffee shops. I have calculated that there may be 2 coffee shops in my entire town that I have never been in. Just to give you a better picture of what this means: my town has an excess of two things in particular: Hairdressers and Coffee Shops. Anywho, though I do love coffee - more importantly, Coffee Shops offer me time to sit, face to face with a friend who can have my undivided attention. I love losing track of time, having my phone on silent and getting lost in conversation. (For those of you who know what 'love languages' are - mine is Quality Time.) In that time, that conversation is my priority and is the most important thing in the world to me.
Now, all the things I have been to lately; meetings, conferences etc - one thing has cropped up that ties them all together. It's the light bulb moment of 'why have we not been meeting each other before?!' We are all really good (me included) at sending email after email or doing things on the phone, which creates a million other jobs and phone calls and messages that need to be sent, communication ultimately breaks down and the job falls through. So, instead - we meet face to face. We see each other, we give each other time and we share more information than we would through typing. I've personally learnt the value of this through networking in order to find work. If I meet 'that relevant person' I can say 'I need a job' or 'can I help you do this' etc. My face is known, and people will think of me when a job is either created or advertised.
So, what is my point in all of this? Instead of investing in '600' online acquaintances, take your best friend out for lunch. Ring your mum, send your friend a letter, have a dinner party, arrange a catch up and make the effort to know and appreciate the people in your lives who are the ones on which you can rely. In your work, or personal lives - if you are trying to set up a team, organise a project, start a new group then MEET your people. Face to face. Also, get some biscuits. Meet regularly, to ensure that you are all communicating and sharing effectively because this will improve everything, I assure you! Sometimes you might think that it sounds so simple that you can't believe you didn't think of it before, to sit in the same room together and talk. But we just hardly do it anymore...who really likes meetings?! But I want to say that they offer something key that we are losing, they are not always a nuisance - they are an opportunity to be human, to build relationships (working and personal) and to learn together.
For when the busyness of life takes over (as it so naturally does) choose to slow down, get a cup of tea, catch up with a person you love and let them be your focus. People will always be more important than things.
I saw this advert a while ago, and whilst my heart is all for Yorkshire Tea (as everybody knows) - I thought it made an excellent point. Right at the beginning of my blogging days, I posted about 'Private Life' (scroll down my page and take a look after!) and this need we feel to share so much of our lives online. I hold my hands up and say I am guilty as charged, as those of you who know me are probably thinking right now. I guess it's just become a part of life for us all really, it's almost become a bit of a reflex in some ways. See, I take photos all the time. Usually of things that I love, things that inspire me, nature, coffee or family and I just share it. If those things are important to me, people might care. Or, perhaps not.
This advert addresses this issue so well. Instead of throwing on facebook that 'we have a new job' or 'we're going on holiday' why don't we instead call up our closest friends, the ones who actually care and share it with them first? Lately, I've spent a lot of time on the phone, catching up with people who think they are calling me for 5 minutes and then boom, an hour has passed. But I LOVE that because we are sharing life! Talking is good. I am also quite famous for sitting in coffee shops. I have calculated that there may be 2 coffee shops in my entire town that I have never been in. Just to give you a better picture of what this means: my town has an excess of two things in particular: Hairdressers and Coffee Shops. Anywho, though I do love coffee - more importantly, Coffee Shops offer me time to sit, face to face with a friend who can have my undivided attention. I love losing track of time, having my phone on silent and getting lost in conversation. (For those of you who know what 'love languages' are - mine is Quality Time.) In that time, that conversation is my priority and is the most important thing in the world to me.
Now, all the things I have been to lately; meetings, conferences etc - one thing has cropped up that ties them all together. It's the light bulb moment of 'why have we not been meeting each other before?!' We are all really good (me included) at sending email after email or doing things on the phone, which creates a million other jobs and phone calls and messages that need to be sent, communication ultimately breaks down and the job falls through. So, instead - we meet face to face. We see each other, we give each other time and we share more information than we would through typing. I've personally learnt the value of this through networking in order to find work. If I meet 'that relevant person' I can say 'I need a job' or 'can I help you do this' etc. My face is known, and people will think of me when a job is either created or advertised.
So, what is my point in all of this? Instead of investing in '600' online acquaintances, take your best friend out for lunch. Ring your mum, send your friend a letter, have a dinner party, arrange a catch up and make the effort to know and appreciate the people in your lives who are the ones on which you can rely. In your work, or personal lives - if you are trying to set up a team, organise a project, start a new group then MEET your people. Face to face. Also, get some biscuits. Meet regularly, to ensure that you are all communicating and sharing effectively because this will improve everything, I assure you! Sometimes you might think that it sounds so simple that you can't believe you didn't think of it before, to sit in the same room together and talk. But we just hardly do it anymore...who really likes meetings?! But I want to say that they offer something key that we are losing, they are not always a nuisance - they are an opportunity to be human, to build relationships (working and personal) and to learn together.
For when the busyness of life takes over (as it so naturally does) choose to slow down, get a cup of tea, catch up with a person you love and let them be your focus. People will always be more important than things.
Much Love xxx
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