Connection Reduces Frustration
If you're lucky enough, you'll come to a point where you feel like there is no point. The knots will tie you up inside, and the more you try to sort them out or make sense of them, the messier and more significant they will get. The knots entangle your thoughts and jumble your emotions to the point of frustration.
In these moments, it often feels like tomorrow is just the past acting itself over and over.
Recent surveys by Gallup and others show that over 70% of workers are disconnected, stressed, and unhappy at work. Middle managers and leaders consistently fall into the bottom 5% of all happiness categories. Why? What is the dis-"connect?" Connection means to join, to unite. So disconnection means to sever what was once joined or united.
We are human beings endowed with extraordinary abilities to connect, empathize, and act with compassion. Yet, what is more uncompassionate than disconnecting, contributing to fragmentation and confusion? It's not like we don't want to connect; it's just that when we intend to reach out, people feel an internal resistance, feel unheard, and therefore one's feelings are suppressed and thwarted.
But connecting isn't just about letting the narrator use your energy to reinforce or build on destructive stories you might be telling yourself or others. Yes, at times, you have to "get things out." But it's also about care. Care for yourself, care for others, and care for the overall challenge.
The first remedy, care for yourself, and connect with yourself is the most essential. When we reflect on our past patterns with clear eyes, we often see things we might not like. But digging deeper, we will see that those patterns have a gift. And that gift is quintessentially you. It's why you're here and exactly what you want to be connected to and share with others.
At work, this means having open and caring conversations with people who might have a different view about how things can improve. Be constructive, listen, and respond in a way that looks for connection and common ground.
We can participate in the change we want. It won't be easy—it often involves navigating the "messy and larger knots" of our emotions and thoughts. Yet, through this struggle, we gain clarity, resilience, and a renewed sense of purpose.
The gold in feeling stuck is the opportunity for growth, transformation, and deeper human connection. It's about finding meaning and building something together; the most significant opportunity is when it seems impossible. Because what's being called on isn't part of us; it's connected to us; it's all of us.
