Comings and Goings
At the beginning of each year, like many people, I review the previous year’s activity to prepare for the preparation of my income tax reporting. In going back through the calendar, looking to calculate my mileage travelled in performance of my business, I see the names of clients I worked with throughout the year. Those, especially early in 2017, bring back memories that have faded, and me wondering what they may be doing now, or how they have advanced forward in the job they landed when our coaching relationship ended.
I find that these, comings and goings of individuals into and out of one’s life happen far more frequently these days. Yes, there are those who enter your life circle and frankly are a part of your life for a number of years to come. However, the world we live in continues to change and evolve. I worked in a corporate career for 30 years, 1 company and 1 major department. And, while indeed people came and went in that environment, there were several individuals that I worked with or interacted with for several years. Many became lifelong friends. We got to know each other, our families, the high points and the struggles of our lives.
So, what is different now? If we’re strictly talking about the world of employment or vocations, if a person works at one company, or in one location for 4 to 5 years, that is considered a long time. I myself have a 1 person entrepreneurial business. The world of work is continuing to evolve where as we rapidly approach the year 2020, approximately 40% of people will either work in their own business, as consultants, as freelancers. You may have heard the term “gig economy.” In the “gig economy” individuals are hired for a one time project using the talents they have, with the understanding when the project is over, it will be time for them to move on to a new company, working on a new opportunity.
While the movements of people in and out of our life is more frequent, it puts more accountability on the individual to keep those contacts fresh and active. Fortunately the tools to do so are far more numerous in today’s world if we use them wisely. In the past, likely the two ways people would most keep in touch were either by telephone or letter. With the advent of social media, there are multiple social media sites that one can use to keep track of the progress of their friends and acquaintances. In the world of professional relationships, Linked In is the most prominent tool to use to do so. Tools such as email, texting, instant messaging are also ways to stay in touch. Do those take the place of seeing individuals personally? No, not even close. But, they can be tools to use to reconnect with someone that you have not seen for a while, to arrange a lunch or dinner meeting, or even just a cup of coffee to catch up.
Above all, be aware that keeping in touch with those who enter and exit your life, is a challenge of which you have responsibility for making happen. It is easy to say, they never call me or they never reach out to me. However, they likely have a life with as many things going on in it as you. Additionally I find that the person that makes the effort to be the connector keeps themselves opened up to learning about new opportunities that they would have not been aware of, if they just chose to stay to themselves.
There will be people that come in and out of your life that possibly you do not want or care to see again. However, for those which you do, remember we live in a world where “comings and goings” are going to continue to increase, so it is prevalent on us to bring those with whom we want to stay in touch, back into our lives.
