Continuing on the theme of productivity in the New Year…
Did you take note of how people planned for the parties you went to over the holidays? How about how you planned for these events? What about those attending? It is very interesting to me how uniquely we approach social gatherings and prepare to take part in them. Even if we are very similar with those around us we still have a few distinct features that help us embrace the moment, get through it, or make it better.
I am a bit of an ‘event planner’ type. I say a bit because if that is all I am doing I go nuts. Literally. I also love reading up on and reviewing different sets of personality and social interaction inventories. If I go through the material that has been provided me over the past year in particular, terms such as ‘strategist’, ‘catalyst’, ‘individualization’, ‘communication’, ‘extrovert’, ‘feeling’…all describe me. That makes for great times putting together moments for other people But always with a purpose, and not necessarily in any clear and organized fashion.
I have not always embraced this aspect of myself, largely because I did not want it define me and allowed it to wear me out. But when I seek the core of what personally feeds me in these moments, I like who I am. I like seeing people connected, enabling them to do so freely, and finding a place in the crowd regardless of how they fit socially.
It is an interesting social experiment to conduct on yourself! Take a moment to reflect on what brings you joy in your unique social situations. There are aspects that will always drag us down, but what do you see lifting you up? We will have to take part in social exercises that make us uncomfortable or just simply are not in our wheelhouse, but deriving the parts that can speak to us, or that we can speak into, make us better people. And possibly make every situation just a little more joyful!
Lead Freely 