Communication - The Solution To Your Problems

Got Problems? Communication is the solution - or at least it is 99,99% of the time.

Every problem has a solution - the difficulty most people have is finding and implementing the best solution. I want to thank Gloria Bell, Brett Bodine, Jenci Spradlin, Joe Cook and Brian Campbell from Twitter for reminding of the power of communication in amazing chat last night.

Unfortunately, too often, people try to solve their problems with the same thought process that created it (their own mind) and they tend to carry the burden of the problems (and thus the solution) on their own shoulders.

Whether we like it or not, we are social beings. We need to share our lives with others to optimize our happiness and grow individually and collectively. And thanks to technology, we are able to grow our social networks larger and larger than ever before - gaining advice, support and actual help from more friends, neighbors, and even (dare I say it) enemies than ever before.

We all have expertise of some specific field. But no matter who you are, we all lack something - some knowledge and wisdom that we need others to fill in. Some are better at finances, while others are better at marketing. Some have great hand-eye coordination but lack the ability to think systematically, and yet others are the exact opposite. Nobody, I repeat NOBODY, can do it all on their own.

And the glue to our network is communication. The answer to nearly every problem is communication. The more trusted and open the communication is, the more effective we can be in accomplishing our goals - if for no other reason than because the more likely others (whom we need) will be both willing and able to help us.

So stop trying to be a one man or one woman show (and yes, I'm taking my own advice on this one). Share your vision of the future with every one you know (and even those you don't know). Invite them into your life. Engage with them to find out what they have to offer to you - or to others around you.

Listen and read more than you talk and write.

Only when you do all of these things with an open heart and an open mind will we all truly begin to make strides to reach the next level of the human experience.

Up until the Industrial Age, our Tribe (as Seth Godin like to call it) was very limited. Our sphere of influence rarely left our own home - at most reaching to the edges of our direct community (town or city).

Then with the advent of new forms of communication and transportation in the Industrial Age, we were able to extend our spheres of influence well beyond the limits of our eyesight - our reach went beyond the horizons for the first time. But during this age of communication, time tended to be the biggest limiting factor in the development and growth of our Tribe - because we could only communicate with so many on a regular, consistent basis.

But now, in the Information Age, there are no limits in time or space on who we can reach out and communicate with. The world is our playground - and currently there are 6 billion people all hanging out together.

Sometimes the noise can be deafening. But if you leverage technology properly, you will find that you can build personal relationships and find partners that compliment you in any endeavor you wish to pursue.

So reach out - engage and invite others into your world. And literally. . .

Grow in ways you never thought possible.