When I visited Canada for an earth science editors' conference last month, the hotel I stayed at had several inuksuks around the property. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia website, in Inuktitut, the term inuksuk means "to act in the capacity of a human." What is more human than wanting to connect with people?
One of the best things about attending professional conferences is connecting with people who do the same kind of job as you. If you go to the same conference every year, you build strong connections with people that always attend with you. It is wonderful to have connections like that if you have a question or need a second opinion on a problem. It's essential if you work in an environment where you are the only person who does your kind of job.
It is scary to go into those situations to connect with people. Walking into a room where I don't know anyone or I do know them and their job title intimidates me can be terrifying. It is so rewarding though. The fear quickly turns to laughter and the connections are made almost instantly.
I'm trying to be better about connecting with people. I'm the worst when it comes to being the one who picks up the phone. I think to myself, "If they wanted to see me, they would call." But recently I had lunch with a friend and she thanked me several times for reaching out. We discussed how we always think about connecting with people late at night when you can't call or text. We commiserated over the fact that it isn't that we don't think about each other, we are just forgetful when it comes to connecting. The same rule applies, it can be scary to be the one that makes the call because there's the fear of rejection but the connections are so rewarding. Connecting is the ultimate action we can make in the capacity of a human.
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