Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby :)

While building relationships online is important and essential...

...there ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby :)

For the past year and change, the majority of my conversations and work with those I serve existed exclusively in a digital context.

Social. Emails. DM’s. Zoom. Things like that. 

And since this is all we had available to us due to the pandemic, this option served to help us all move ourselves forward through a dark and, quite frankly, shitty time in our businesses and lives.

But recently, I had an opportunity to meet people in person that I only knew from a screen.

I was in Las Vegas for the National Speaker Associations annual conference, Influence. 

While I booked myself solid during those three days with headshot and portrait sessions, as well as photos of speakers on the main stage, I left ample time to socialize with my people. 

And I’m really glad I did. 

The amount of amazing conversations I had with a wide variety of folks was overwhelming. The fact that we were back to having amazing conversations IN PERSON was overwhelming. 

In all honesty, in the months leading up to Influence, my mental state wasn’t exactly something to write home about. 

Going through months of spending way too much time home alone took a major toll. And the long haul effects of Covid didn’t really help matters much, either.

I’ve been emotionally smacked around in a way that I had never experienced before. 

I really needed to get out and be around the folks that inspired me to create this niche business in the first place.

It was a shot of life that I desperately needed, and one that I’m especially grateful for experiencing. 

As an expert, you don’t really know the effect that you have on people’s lives until you receive feedback from those in which you serve. 

For three days, I had a chance to soak in a wide variety of compliments and validation for the work I’ve created. 

Some of these compliments came from clients who I hadn’t seen in a while; others came from complete strangers who’ve been following my work for quite some time and I had no idea. 

It was unexpected, appreciated and quite frankly, moving, all at the same time. Needless to say, it felt pretty fuckin’ good!

The entire experience has fast-tracked me to ditching the trauma of a shitty time and feeling whole again :)

While this missive might come across as a self-serving victory lap, my intention here is to share an important reminder that dawned on me during the flight home as I marinated on the experience:

Don’t ever underestimate the power of a one-on-one, in-the-same-room, human connection. 

Sure, talking about potentially working together is wonderful. 

But it’s not just about the work. It’s more about feeling like you're free, open to experiences, enjoying the art of in-person conversation in three dimensions, and genuinely appreciating someone else taking the time to stop in their tracks and engage in a chat with you. 

After all, as human beings, we’re hard-wired for relationships. 

And we can never forget this fundamental principle, as it’s served us well as a species to live on for generations.

Yes, virtual did a wonderful job at helping us keep our sanity from falling off a cliff, but, at the end of the day, there ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby :) 

So, when you feel comfortable enough to get out there and connect, connect fully and soak in the moment - the juice is worth the squeeze.

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