Lacking interest or excitement (dull) is the definition for mundane. That's how I feel about winter while living in the upper Midwest during the months of January and February. The amount of snow we receive makes weekends boring, restrictive, and makes me want to hibernate.
Mundane is what I thought of as I watched my husband snow blow over 12" of heavy snow just so we could get out of our driveway. It's what I thought of after feeling stuck in the house for another day. It's what I thought of when typing this post. That "blah" feeling when facing another work week even though you love your job (which I do).
Do you ever feel that way? Am I the only one?
So what do you do when you get to that point in your day, week, month or life? If anything, a pandemic has taught us to deal with the mundane as we deal with it every day working from home, being limited in entertainment, and not having the same relationship connections with people. Our relationships have moved into a video realm and our touchpoints are now emojis of applause, high fives, and hearts.
So how do we connect and get past the mundane?
One solution is social networks. In the book, The Networked Nonprofit, by Beth Kanter and Allison H. Fine, they state, "Nature is rife with examples of work and life organized to benefit a whole group. Hives, herds, and packs enable bees, buffalo, and coyotes to organize and protect themselves for the benefit of individual members and the entire group. Human beings organized themselves similarly; we used to call them tribes. Now we call them social networks" (2010, p. 26).
While not a substitute for in-person connections, social networking connects us with old friends while making new ones. It promotes and grows businesses in a safe, unassuming environment. At the basic level, social networks are "simple, intuitive structures" with two basic components: people and organizations (Kanter & Fine, 2010, p. 27).
During this past year, I have expanded my world of social networking. Once a Facebook only girl, I have moved into LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Part of it was for the purpose of growing this new venture, but more importantly to be connected to people.
In a Messenger conversation with my niece recently she reaffirmed in me the importance of connecting. She needs a mentor and guide, and told me I was hers. I was both honored and humbled by that perspective, but also the enormity of that responsibility. I am a firm believer that God puts people in our path not by chance by divine design to share our experiences, education, and life lessons with, and we are responsible for them accordingly.
One of my strengths is connectedness (Clifton Strengthfinders 2.0) and while it may come naturally for me...maybe it doesn't for you. I challenge you in the mundane to find a way to reach out to someone new or reconnect with an old friend or business associate.
I guarantee you what was once mundane will become exciting again as you utilize your leadership soft skills to become connected.
What She Said ~ Beverly
(Photo - ilifejourney.wordpress.com)
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