The Rainbow Connection

As we continue to navigate through this COVID global pandemic, the meaning & importance of human connection could not be greater. One of my favorite commercials over the holidays is the one made by Kohl’s that is set to the famous song from “The Muppet Movie” sung by the amazing Willie Nelson, “The Rainbow Connection.” Next door neighbors, a little girl & an elderly woman, make & hold up pictures & signs inside their homes from their windows to communicate to each other & ultimately create such a sweet, warm-hearted friendship. It beautifully captures & celebrates the power of connection.

Today, in this incredibly fast-paced, consumer driven, social media shared world, success & happiness are often defined by what status we have achieved & the value of the things we own. The amount of effort we put into keeping up with all the expectations that are set for us & those we determine for ourselves can be overwhelming not to mention down right exhausting. We fill our days with “crazy busy” schedules, hyper-active, super turbo-charged activities that oftentimes keep us struggling to stay healthy & find a decent, manageable work-life balance. This, of course, has been made more challenging by the ever-growing & now necessary trend of working remotely & finding new ways to interact with one another. No matter what level of success we are able to reach or number of accomplishments we achieve, our personal quality time & moments for nurturing relationships has increasingly become more elusive. This disconnection can directly correlate to rampant feelings of loneliness coupled with sheer burnout both professionally from excessive, long work hours & personally from detrimental changes in our thoughts & behaviors.

Throughout history, humans have inherently been social creatures. We have genetically evolved to survive & thrive through “togetherness.” Emma Seppala of the Stanford Center for Compassion & Altruism Research & Education & author of “The Happiness Track” wrote, “People who feel more connected to others have lower levels of anxiety & depression. Moreover, studies show they have higher self-esteem, greater empathy for others, are more trusting & cooperative &, as a consequence, others are more open to trusting & cooperating with them.” Brene Brown, a professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, specializes in social connection, said “A deep sense of love & belonging is an irresistible need of all people. When those needs are not met, we don’t function as we were meant to. We may think we want money, power, fame, beauty, eternal youth or a new car, but at the root of most of these desires is a need to belong, to be accepted and to connect with others.”

Being a Recruiter, my main purpose & daily goal is making connections. It, along with assisting others, is the most significant & purposeful part of my job on a whole. My focus also lies in what I am able to give to others. Connecting is the start to building & maintaining relationships, as well as being able to introduce others to one another. In this, I do not settle for quantity, but instead always aim for quality. I enjoy being able to find people who add value in not only my network, but those I can add to in theirs, too & others I engage with in/around my company & in my industry. While right now it needs to remain socially distanced & digital, I still believe in the power of kicking it back old school with face-to-face & phone interactions. Even though they seem to be a bit of a dying art, both provide real value, a greater sense of comfort, reduce misunderstandings & increase efficiency. Let’s face it, they are a million times better than one or a multiple chain of emails clogging up your inbox. I very much miss being able to meet/see & speak with my candidates & my work colleagues & to be able to shake their hands or nowadays give an elbow-bump. I mean if that’s all that we can use, it’s better than nothing!

Human connection is an energy exchange between people & most definitely has the power to deepen the moment, inspire change & build trust. The human element of connecting is what lies at the heart no matter what method is ultimately chosen. It is about taking relationships to more profound levels in ways that are valuable & effective in positive influence. I care greatly & others matter to me near or afar. I do what I do always with the purpose of being able to help others now or later on down the road. I love, absolutely love being able to see people connect, grow & succeed. Right now, more than ever we do need more kindness, more support, more togetherness & more compassion for one another. I believe that we meet & reconnect with others & that everything, absolutely everything happens for a reason. So, I hope, in the great words also sung by Kermit the Frog, “someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection.”