Communications And Happy New Year

I hope you all had a good chance to recharge the batteries over the summer. We were blessed with excellent weather and a lot of time outdoors. Lots of books read and time with the family.

And speaking of books, I had a chance to experience more than once that we perhaps forget in our fast and furious world that our dependence on technology is overshadowing the basics of enjoying what we like to do best. I had an electronic book device given to me some time ago and use it off and on depending on my mood. I once took it with me on a business trip and as I usually do when I am dining alone, I took my device down with me to read while I waited for my meal. As luck would have it, when I went to turn it on, the battery was dead. My immediate thought was that “books don’t have batteries”. My next experience was in an airplane when the flight attendant told me that I would have to turn it off for take offs and landings. Again, “books don’t have batteries”. And most recently, the device finally called it quits halfway though a book so now I am off to buy a hard copy book to finish it.

This put my mind to the fact that we often depend way too much on technology for the simple pleasures of life. I see people (and yes I am guilty as charged of this once in a while) constantly glued to their cell phones even while speaking to people. I have a friend who a few months ago lamented about how hard it is to contact people using Messenger, Twitter, etc. I informed him that I had a brand new technology and sofware that he should try- a phone or face to face conversation! That set him back and then he smiled knowing that I was absolutely right. At work, we often send emails to people working within 5 or 10 feet of us forgetting that we could have saved a lot of time and energy just getting up and talking to the person. It also improves that good old communication that is still so very important in our personal and business lives.

So as we begin, what I call “New Years”, to launch into our busy lives once again, take the time to lessen your dependence on electronic devices and increase your personal contacts. You might be surprised how well this actually works.

Have a Happy New Year!