Todays world, and the people within it, are more connected than ever before. Our technology enables us to confidently contact and communicate with others almost anytime and anywhere. The barriers to entry to use this technology are disappearing fast as most people nowadays can get access to this technology regardless of their financial position.
To demonstrate this perfectly, I travelled for 8 months primarily reliant on FREE WIFI to communicate and plan my trip around the UK and back in 2015 - all on an entry level android device. With email and numerous social networks like LinkedIn, Youtube, Twitter, Google+ and facebook, we can all communicate to others (note not necessarily with others) like no other time in human history. Our devices have us communicating to each other more than ever before.
As a Life Transformation Coach and passionate student of, and in life, I am by nature a curious person. I am genuinely interested in making my own connections and furthering my own learnings, un-learnings, and understandings. Like many of us, I see the wonderful opportunities these technologies bring into our lives - I also see some of the limitations that come with them.
Any opinion about the benefits and limitations I have is naturally limited, and in no small part due to my generation and my age. I accept and embrace this. Clearly I do not know what I do not know (there is a hint there for anyone wondering whether life coaching might be able to improve their life...) so with that knowledge, I realise that I, most likely, do not make the connections or understandings to this technology like someone who was born into a world where these technologies already existed and were the norm.
That last sentence is an interesting point and one aimed at older generations that look at younger generations as being disconnected and device dependent. Has any older generation truly connected with, or been able to communicate effectively with a younger generation? Is todays ipad, iPhone or PC any different from any other technology from years/generations passed? These are questions well worth pondering.
Is todays ipad yesterdays Enid Blyton? Were children throughout history any more or less engrossed in the technology of their time, or seemingly anymore disconnected from their older generation/s than our current generation/s are? Can we start to become aware of, or indeed break this generational cycle of disconnection?
But I digress, the intention of this article is to get you thinking about your life and how you communicate to, and with, the people in your world. Our devices and our technology help us stay connected to each other. Let us not mistake that connection, or explain it away, as confidently communicating with each other. These are two completely different things. We need to understand this difference to ensure we are living our lives more fully and with more awareness.
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In future blog articles, I will be focusing more on those relationships in our lives that we can improve as we make that differentiation between communicating to or at, and... communicating with. I will also be looking at the differences between doing with each other and being with each other. Once we start making those necessary connections in our lives, we start improving the quality of our lives. Coaching helps you make connections - connections that can change your life.
Our devices, whatever the technology (newsfeeds or newspapers, books or ebooks) might be, can be obstacles to confidently communicating and connecting with the people in our lives. As always, awareness is the key.
Are you having some challenges with your interpersonal communication skills with someone in your life? Perhaps a loved one or a co-worker? Maybe its a situation that has challenged you for sometime? Is your lack of self confidence holding you back from moving closer to people?
Life Coaching with me (see what some of my clients say about coaching with me right here) can help you move closer towards managing, understanding, and moving on in - and through your life. Coaching can help you to improve your communication and your confidence.
Would you like to learn more about how coaching with me can help you build new levels of confidence in your life? Simply go to the contact me drop down menu and email me via the contact form to book a session. Want to ask a question or provide your thoughts about this article? Feel free to comment below the article, or you can email me directly.
*Craig Hedge is a Professional Coach and Lifestyle Mentor based in Hobart (nipaluna), Tasmania, Australia. He is author of the transformational Instinctive Living self development book series available on Amazon.