This one bugs me.
Maybe you’ve heard that phrase. “Let’s connect”. I have, several times. Except, I don’t know what that means anymore. I thought I knew what it meant, but now I’m not sure.
Here’s my definition:
Let’s Connect– The desire to communicate or collaborate. The desire to get to know each other better.
What Let’s Connect has come to mean – I’m lying to you. I have no intention of connecting with you. You exist just in case I need you.
So, I refuse to say “Let’s connect” any more. I just connect, in real time, in the moment and hope it leads to more connecting.
If you say “Lets’ Connect” and later find out I’m an idiot, by all means, send me a little message
Dear Paul.
I really wanted to “connect” but I found out your were an idiot. I’ll have to withdraw my offer to connect”
Yours truly,
An honest person
Can you tell it frustrates me?
This is even worse in the ministry circles I run in. For a group of people whose organizations count on the their ability to connect, they suck at it. This, in my opinion, is why many churches fail; they can only scratch the surface.
The barriers to connectivity are many
Laziness – I just don’t have enough energy to connect
Pride – Why would I want to connect? I don’t need them for anything.
Busyness – Connect? When? Nope. Booked solid.
Insecurity – Why would they want to connect with me? or Once we tried to connect, they probably wouldn’t like me anyway.
Each of us have barriers, but the person who really does want to connect, will scale the wall to do so.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to connect, don’t let the barriers beat you. Yes, there are barriers to connecting, but they’re small in comparison to the joy you could receive in making a new friend, ally, or collaborator.
If you want to connect with me, it will take a little effort, but I think it will be worth it.
You can connect with me in multiple ways:
If you’re a youth worker, I’d love to connect through my coaching group.
It’s all about connecting!