Men imagine that they communicate their virtue or vice only by overt actions, and do not see that virtue or vice emit a breath every moment. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Who is one person that you’ve been dying to connect with, but just haven’t had the courage to reach out to? First, reflect on why you want to get in touch with them. Then, reach out and set up a meeting.
(Author: David Spinks)
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This is a tough one. There are plenty of people I’d love to meet and have a conversation with.
There’s Audrey Hepburn, but unfortunately, she’s no longer with us. But then again, I get to connect with Audrey whenever I watch one of her movies or read a book about her. Maybe connection doesn’t have to be over a physical meeting. Maybe just a meeting of thought or mutual appreciation. *ponders*
Then there’s Malcolm Gladwell. He’s one of my favorite writers. I think I’ve loved everything I’ve read by him. I like the way he looks at the world and the way he tells stories. He’s one of those special people who is truly compelling. But it’s not about him. It’s never about him. It’s always about the story he’s telling and the characters there. He motivates us to examine, react, or form opinions based upon a solid story that focuses on the players – not the author. I think that’s rare, especially since so many of us are invested in our own personal image. People may want to read something we wrote simply because we’re the ones who wrote it. But is that really good story telling? It drives traffic and encourages book sales and click throughs. But does it really speak to people?
I’d like to learn how he does it; how he keeps the focus on the characters. I also want to know how he comes up with his story ideas. He manages to find some of the most interesting things, but then again, I think if I were to meet with him, he’d say something to the tune of, “People come to me with ideas or they just come to me on accident.” Maybe that’s the true beauty of storytelling. We don’t always know what our tales will be about. Sometimes, the characters find us.
I think I haven’t reached out to him personally because he probably gets a million letters a day from people like me. After all, he’s writing for The New Yorker – and I dream about getting published there. People on Twitter probably send him direct messages constantly, even though he hasn’t updated since April 2010. There’s a million reasons to not reach out and connect with someone. We come up with new ones every day.
“What will he/she think?”
“I just don’t have the time.”
“What would we talk about?”
“Why can’t he/she come to me?”
“He/She wouldn’t notice me.”
Enough excuses. There’s no shame in trying to connect with someone.
So, hey there Malcolm. If you’re reading this, I’d love to meet you. You’ll be hearing from me soon either way :)
