A few weeks ago, I was traveling home from a business trip out west. I typically try to change into more comfortable clothes for a long flight so jeans and a tee shirt with a ¾ zip is my preferred attire. Many of you already know that I’m a big Michigan wolverine fan so like any true fan I have dozens of shirts, hats and pullovers that all have the trademark logo block M on it.
The thing that always surprises me when I travel is whenever I happen to wear anything with the block M there are multiple random people that will shout out Go Blue. The truly interesting part about this is no matter where I go, someone will recognize the M and give me an enthusiastic Go Blue. One time I was working in India, wandering around the open markets in Bangalore and someone saw my M Hat and said Go Blue!
I’m sure that many of you have experienced the same thing when you wear the colors or logos from your favorite teams. Every time someone acknowledges our common bond it always feels really good, so I started to wonder why that is?
At our core we are intensely social creatures and have a basic human need for connection. This need can fulfill itself in many different ways, but what I’ve learned is that we tend to be drawn to people that like the same things that we do and share the same experiences we have.
If you have ever sat in a stadium and watched a game when a player on your favorite team ALMOST makes an outstanding play, you will also hear the entire crowd in unison make a collective GASP as the ball falls just out of reach. How is it that we can all experience the same feeling at the exact same moment if at some level we aren’t all connected?
The fact is the basic human desire to connect draws us to anything we see that looks familiar in others. Something as simple as a Smile to a stranger in a crowded place will almost always elicit that same response if it appears genuine. The same is true with a sad face. Have you ever started crying just because someone else started crying?
At our cores we long for connection and the feeling that we belong to something. So this week I would ask you:
Who is in your collective group?
What does your connected group have in common?
How do you share what you love the most in life with others?
We all have a group or community that we get to claim as our own, so this week celebrate with those you choose to associate with outside your immediate family.
And of course…
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