Globally connected, are we connected to the #voiceinme?

Everyone is so proud that we are globally connected & distances are no challenge today! Thanks to virtual meetings using technology nobody seems to be unreachable anymore. As I was meeting up with old friends today, we wondered if we were truly connected. One of them got a call from a family friend confirming her visit. As she shared about the call, it immediately took us down memory lane of our childhood times.

The years of 70s & 80s of growing up in India were ones where neighbors' homes were always open to going in for that glass of water in the middle of a game of "I Spy" or "lagori or seven stones" instead of running home. Doors were open all the time as kids playing outside were the security guards, and strangers needed to cross these kids before entering the colonies. There was no security agency & playing in the open was safe.

Games comprised a lot of local games which involved skill & balance. Each built his/her cognitive skills & the relationships that we built with friends who became our sounding boards. Life slowly but surely was helping us understand ourselves. A fall was not fussed about & parents knew they could trust neighbors. Parents did not enter the fights of children. Fights led to factions & soon the peace was brokered. The teams & the bonds were special!

One of my friends remarked that when her cousin went to the USA in the early 90s he described, how people in America, call before coming home, which was a family joke. Today, ironically, it is the norm in India too. It was the trunk calls & International calls that were awaited in neighbors' houses. Everyone would not have a TV or a phone & so sharing numbers was common. The colony would meet up in the house that had the TV & the others contribute to make it an event. Nobody cared about chairs but sat on the floor and were comfortable. No masks!

As we are proud of the AI & Technology that are signs of progress, let's restart the old connections. Maybe we need to start with ourselves. Let's spend time with ourselves & start the process. With the fickleness of life, it is so clear that what we leave behind is only memories in the minds of people we meet briefly or build a relationship with. These memories are purely experiential. It starts with how comfortable we are with ourselves. We need to connect with the #voiceinme.

Here are 3 ways to start this reconnection:

-Let us start with giving time to spending time understanding what Swami Vivekananda meant when he said these powerful lines.

- Maybe we need to understand the power of ?“Dolce far Niente”- the sweetness of doing nothing.

-maybe call a childhood friend & recall a great time together & discover who you were,

Would love to know which one you are adopting or if you have something that works for you.

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• Our guest this week is Janet M. Harvey a bestselling author, speaker, vanguard leader, ICF master certified coach and accredited educator who has engaged leaders, teams, and global enterprises for nearly 30 years to invite change that sustains well-being and excellence. Visionary CEO of inviteCHANGE, a coaching and human development organization, Janet Harvey uses her executive and entrepreneurial experience to cultivate leaders in sustainable excellence through Generative Wholeness?, a signature coaching and learning process. As Janet shares, “Coaching in its many forms has at its root the effect of awakening consciousness and doing so in a highly accelerated fashion that sustains.”?

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SELFI is a newsletter where I share my reflections on life. Moments where some simple elements stayed on to create a SELFI moment! Moments that force the?#voiceinme?to express. Do subscribe if you like what you read & do share it with anyone you think will benefit! I also host an award-winning weekly human library audio podcast called "U n' I with Rashmi Shetty" which can be heard on all popular platforms. Uploads are on Fridays.

Do get in touch if you need inputs on how to improve your VOICE & Vocal presence. I also facilitate customized leadership programs.

For details do visit https://coachrashmishetty.com/