Why People Are Your Most Important Resource

It’s no secret that I’m a fanatic over the show Lost.

I’ve watched it in its entirety repeatedly (5, maybe 6 times through now?), I can give you a personal tour of the filming sites on Oahu, and I even have some of the same clothes as Kate. But, in speaking with fellow fans over the years since the show ended 4 years ago, I have encountered many people who did not agree with the way the show was brought to completion. Generally, the consensus was that they didn’t feel enough of the questions had been answered.

I wholeheartedly disagree.

It’s not that I disagree that they left many questions unanswered. That is quite true (although I felt that was in character with the rest of the show). I thought the way they ended it was not only brilliant, but stayed faithful to what the writers said the show was about from day one…the people.

More specifically, the people and the relationships they formed to one another.

Now THIS is a concept worth examining closer.

The writers wanted to get across the concept that, no matter what kind of crazy stuff is going on in life (and those characters were dealing with some crazy stuff!), it’s our bonds with one another that are really what’s important.

The people in our lives and our bonds with them, they ARE our lives.

And we take it for granted sometimes, but what an incredible thing, to be able to connect with another human being like that. Some people we connect with only for a short time, and others we form a deep, interwoven connection that can come to feel like a part of your self. Some people only pass through for a short time, while others stay for years, decades, or even a lifetime.

No matter long they’re with you for, those people are greatest resource you’ll ever encounter.

Professional Opportunities

I wanted to find a means of creating income for myself that was entrepreneurial and location independent. I chose writing, as I love to write.

Now all I had to do was….well, everything.

To begin, I started this blog, to create readers and to display my writing in a public forum. But the next step was harder. Now I had to come up with a way to convince someone that my writing was worth paying for.

First step? Ask just about everyone I know if they can help in pointing me in the right direction.

I can’t tell you how very pleasantly surprised I was when this process only took a couple of months.

As it turned out, a friend of mine, also an entrepreneur, happened to know someone who was looking for a freelance content writer. Considering this was exactly what I had reinvented myself as, I was thrilled to be put into contact with this individual through my friend. A couple of phone calls & a meeting ensued and magically my first freelance content writing assignment was born. Now I am working with yet another friend at picking up a second freelance assignment, one that might involve some travel at that.

All of this happened within a 3 month period. Simply amazing, how powerful the help of friends can be when you are looking to make a professional move.

Travel Connections

As my spring 2015 Europe trip has begun to evolve, little pieces have fallen into place since I started “planning” it a couple months ago. It’s evolved from me possibly traveling with a companion to me intentionally traveling solo. And where it started with a fairly regulated route I planned to cover over two weeks to a month of travel, it has now become a trip with a beginning but no end, and a starting point but no specified route after that.

Actually, in retrospect, one would almost say it’s almost de-evolving….

Yet since I’ve started thinking about this trip, I’ve been talking about it to everyone who will listen. And the most surprising thing has happened — people want to help. I mean, just everywhere I turn, anyone who has something to offer in the Europe department has completely stepped up and offered help on a silver platter.

One friend, it turns out, has a brother who lives in a small town overlooking the Mediterranean near Barcelona, a brother who thoroughly enjoys having house guests. When my friend found out I was planning to arrive in Barcelona as my first stop and that I had not yet determined where I would stay, he immediately contacted his brother to inquire for me. A week later, I had a place to stay upon arrival in Europe, even without any kind of concrete plans on duration of stay or where I would go next. It was just freely offered.

Another friend, when I spoke to him of my trip, enthusiastically told me of this close friends in Italy, all of whom he would connect with for me to see who was up for having me stay with them on my way through Italy. My outlook is, wherever it is these people live, I will be happy to visit their town/city if they’re open to hosting me. I mean, what a great offer!

And it turns out I have still a third friend who recently relocated back to Paris. So it looks like that may be added to the list of stops…

What a way to travel!

I am in constant appreciation that all this would never be coming together for me without my completely awesome friends.

Motivation

Sometimes everyone needs a little motivation.

I never find it in more abundance than in my friends & family.

I am lucky enough to currently be in residence with someone who inspires me. The vision, the hope, the energy that emanates from this person…the air veritably crackles with it around here.

And I thought I had a strong “can-do” attitude…I got nothing on this guy!

I sincerely believe that I would never have turned down my current path (which I thoroughly love) without the daily influence of this kind of energy. I’d likely still be partaking in some professional position I had no genuine interest in and moping around trying to figure out what in the hell I wanted to do with my life. The energy infusion I get on an almost daily basis just from the presence of one person quite literally shifted my life course, and gave me the oomph to get my butt moving (thank goodness).

But I don’t get it all from one friend. I have an awesome little group of friends, some of whom I see often and some not. Even the ones I don’t see all that often, they leave me with a great impression and a smile in my brain whenever I do.

Good friends & family are such a wonderful reserve of support and motivation when you’re chasing down your dreams. They are something truly worth all the effort of cultivation that we put into our relationships.

Emotional Support

The internet can be such a misleading place.

We’ve all got friends on Facebook, followers/people we follow on Twitter, and generally other online personalities that we keep up with. And one thing’s for sure….as hard as anyone tries to accurately represent themselves, there’s almost always going to be a false positive involved.

Why? Well, think about it…when are you more likely to post something? When you’re having a great time/great day/great idea? Or when you’re having a terrible time/terrible day/terrible idea?

I’m gonna go with the former for 98% of people.

So, it’s not that people are trying to brag or misrepresent themselves, it’s just that when we’re happy, we’re more likely to share that with everyone.

Unfortunately, life isn’t always a bowl of cherries, sometimes it’s the pits instead. And it’s those times we need our people around us the most.

Personally, I find the power of human love & compassion to be absolutely incredible, as well as the depth of it. Some of the people in my life that I am the closest to, they are essential when I have fallen into a pit of despair. One of the most amazing friends I have is literally capable of chasing away any demons that might be stalking me simply by being in the room with me.

I also enjoy it just as much when I am the one who can give part of my own self & energy to friends who are in need. It’s like Christmas; it’s fun to get gifts, but sometimes it’s even more fun to give them.

As easy as it can be in this world to get cynical about people sometimes, it never takes a whole lot for me to realize that some truly wonderful people are walking around out there.

Human nature will always have a dark side, but some days it’s just so nice to stop and appreciate the light.

Originally published at https://medium.com on March 13, 2015.