After much resistance on my part, I am finally dipping a toe into the Facebook pool! Feel free to laugh out loud at that one….I’m giggling right along with ya! Now to be clear, I am not a complete newbie to Facebook. I have had a personal and business page for a couple years now and I’ve posted things here and there but I never really fell in love with it the way that so many people have. I think there are a couple reasons why I have resisted it and I will share those with you in a bit, but for now I have decided to give it a whirl. Well that is not completely true….my business coach Tabitha decided I needed to give it a whirl and I finally agreed! (Love you Tab)!!
I will be the first to admit that I’m kind of old school which is one of the reasons it has taken me so long to embrace the whole social media thing. You see, when I started my massage practice almost 20 years ago, social media was almost unheard of. I built my massage practice the old fashioned way….connecting with people one on one, face to face.
My business flourished because of the connections that I made. Many of my clients have been with me since the beginning. We have been through birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, divorces, graduations, career changes, retirements, relocations, births and sadly even death. My clients are my community and they have become like family to me.
The happiness we feel and the professional success we build depends on the relationships we develop with the people in our lives. Deep down inside we all crave the type of connection that makes us feel needed and loved. Not only do we feel better about ourselves, but on a cellular level when we are connected, we produce a hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin is known as the “bonding hormone” and the more emotional contact we have, the more oxytocin we produce. It boosts the immune system, prevents disease, lowers blood pressure and restores hormonal balance. The less oxytocin we have, the more prone we are to illness and disease. So I guess you could say that our personal connections can help us live a long, healthy life!!
It’s easy to build these connections in your life. Here are just a few ideas:
* Spend more time with your loved ones
* Nurture your friendships
* Give hugs freely
* Snuggle with your pet
* Be generous with your time
When I started my health coaching practice a couple years ago, I just assumed I would build the business through personal connections. Unfortunately, the way that people were “connecting” was through social media and I resisted that. I wanted to talk with people face to face not Facebook to Facebook. As an outsider looking in, I felt like social media was causing us to lose our sense of true connection with one another. I did not want that to happen in my own life.
Now I know many of you are probably thinking to yourself “isn’t social media all about connecting with people?” It definitely is, BUT……there is still a phone or a computer separating you from the person you are connecting with. There is no touch, no hugs, no face to face contact and no burst of oxytocin! That’s what connection is all about. I believe we crave it and we need more of it. Wouldn’t you agree?
So you may be wondering with all this talk about personal connections, why am I choosing to embrace Facebook? Well, here’s the deal. This past year has been all about choosing to have the courage to face my fears, be vulnerable and take a long, hard look at what I am resisting in my life. It has been scary and I have pushed myself waaaaay out of my comfort zone but it has also been exciting and very rewarding. I recognized that one of the things I was resisting was social media. It was uncomfortable so I just avoided it. But it became clear to me that it was time to take a look at this and overcome it.
Now this does not mean I am giving up on my pursuit to build my health coaching practice the way I built my massage practice cause I’m not. I believe our capacity to affect others is both a gift and a responsibility. We have the power to choose how we want to do that. When we come from a place of love and compassion, we can be a powerful force. We can open doors to more meaningful relationships. And that is my goal.
For now, I will continue to forge a path by making personal connections with everyone I meet. As far as Facebook goes, I am willing to give it a try and be open to where that may lead. So be on the lookout for my posts and let me know what you think. But if you would rather connect with me face to face, you know I would LOVE that so hit reply and let’s schedule a time to meet (and boost our oxytocin levels)!!
Talk to you soon 😉
P.S.
If you want to connect AND enjoy a delicious meal, sign up for my next cooking class, Meatless Meals Made Easy! There are only 2 spots left so don’t delay!!
