Connection and Vulnerability

I learned very early on that it’s less about the “resources” and more about the people connections. I “curate” people that are interesting to me and my learning.  Personal connection.  This is (Pederson, 2005) sort of stuff.

In recent months, I’ve been watching for vulnerability.  Not the creepy kind of vulnerability that comes to mind for most when trying to understand online relationships.  It’s a Brene Brown flavor of vulnerability.

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of joy, belonging, creativity, authenticity, and love.”

Twitter has been very, very good to me. It’s taken me 6+ years and 20,000+ to put my finger on what makes it work.  Why am I more attracted to some folks on not others?

If Step #1 is “Make personal connection. (Pederson, 2005)”, Step #2 is “Make yourself vulnerable. (Pederson, 2013).”  Vulnerability where the joy, belonging, creativity, authenticity, and love is born in this online, connected word.

Related:  Amanda Palmer, “The Art of Asking” TED Talk.

The Answers

stand

…best part…towards the end…

The answers are getting harder and harder
And there ain’t no way to bargain or barter
But if you’ve got the angst or the ardor
You might faint from the fight but you’re gonna find it
For every challenge could have paradise behind it
And if you accept what you have lost and you stand tall
You might just get it back and you can get it all
So now you know why it’s a long way to fall
Yeah cause it’s a long way to fall

My new professional growth plan is to be more like me.

h/t to David Jakes @djakes for my takeaway from Educon 2.5 this year.  The meme actually began a week earlier when he visited this side of the cheddar curtain.  We’d get to talking about people who have our attention, and Jakes would say, “_____’s professional growth plan is to be more like _____.”

Among Educon’s Friday evening panelists was Jeff Pulver.  He made a bold statement along the lines of, “My focus right now is on me.  I’ve recently lost 57 pounds and have another 57 to go.”  I was amazed, throughout the panel, at the degree to which Jeff is simply an authentic person.  What does Jeff do?  ”Jeff Pulver’s professional growth plan is to be more like Jeff Pulver.”  :)

Crossed paths again with Christian Long a bit later, pants and all.  Many of us know Christian as a blogger, teacher, “papa”, designer.  But what does he do? “Christian Long’s professional growth plan is to be more like Christian Long.”  Soon after that, along came Gary Stager.  ”Stager’s professional growth plan is definitely to be more like Stager.”

I’m fortunate to have met many characters along the way.  The interesting peoples’ professional growth plans can be summed up by being more like themselves.