Cultivating Deeper Connections: A Valentine's Day Reflection

Not everyone celebrates Valentines Day, but the desire for love and connection is universal.

Instead of getting caught up in the commercialised aspects of the day, let's delve into the essence of meaningful relationships and the five types of relationships we all need in our lives.

Relationships are at the heart of our effectiveness and performance, yet we often neglect them until a crisis arises. What if we took a proactive approach to nurturing our connections? If you want your relationships to uplift you and you want to uplift others, and if you want your relationships to be ones that bring you energy, not drain new energy, then keep reading, because this is for you.

Belonging: Finding Community

At the core of every meaningful relationship lies a sense of belonging—a feeling of being part of something greater than ourselves. Whether it's a close-knit group of friends, a supportive family, or a community of like-minded individuals, belonging fosters connection and unity. There's a study that shares that when humans feel they belong it tends to create inner harmony and balance. Research has shown that feeling part of a group can lead to better mental and physical health. Research shows that feeling part of a group can lead to better mental and physical health. Imagine being embraced by a supportive community where you're seen, heard, and valued for who you are. In January, we connected with 30 incredible people in our Daily Practices Bootcamp, and the sense of camaraderie was palpable. What communities are you a part of?

Legacy: Leaving a Lasting Impact

Legacy is often associated with what we leave behind when we're gone, but it's more about feeling connected to something bigger than ourselves. Investing time in legacy relationships inspires us to live more intentionally through the exchange of perspectives, ideas, and energy. Who in your life shares a similar legacy, even if they're not part of your immediate circle?

It may be someone from a different spiritual group, a different yoga class, a different fitness perspective, a different friends circle, but investing time in these relationships inspires us to live a more intentional life through the exchange of perspectives, ideas and energy.

Independence: Nurturing Your Relationship with YOU

Amid the busy-ness of daily life, it's so easy to overlook the most important relationship—the one we have with OURSELVES. Our relationship with ourself is a really important relationship. A sense of autonomy, a sense of feeling like we have value, that we know what our worth and our best use is.

 And the biggest question to ask yourself is not what do I need to do in 2024, but who am I becoming in 2024. I find that we put so much effort into doing and thinking about what to do, that all of a sudden we are lost in the doing and not focussed on who we are becoming.

 If we don't share who we are, people will tell us who they want us to be.

 Self-love and self-care are fundamental to well-being, allowing us to show up authentically in our connections with others. Whether it's practicing mindfulness, journaling, or indulging in activities that bring us joy, nurturing our relationship with ourselves lays the groundwork for deeper, more meaningful connections with others.

 Our Performance Planner was designed to support this experience of independence by guiding you to honour your needs, values, and dreams, and create the life you want to live!

Safety Relationships: Cultivating Stability and Support

We all crave safety and security, seeking refuge in relationships that provide stability and support. Who are the people in your life who offer you a safe space to be vulnerable and authentic? You only need one person in your  life to do this with, and you want to invest in that one person in a deep way.

 I think about my relationships as plants in a garden. If I don't water a certain relationship, it will die,. but if I’m watering my garden, it will grow and it will be abundant.

 Each day in our Performance Planner there’s a prompt to help you remember something you are grateful for. Most days I write about the people and relationships that I am grateful for, and make it a priority to let them know how valued they are.

Service: Giving Back and Making a Difference

And finally, we need relationships that are based on surrender and service. Who are we serving? Who are we taking care of? Jay Shetty, global bestselling author, award-winning podcast host of On Purpose, and purpose-driven entrepreneur, recalls his time in the monastery, where they’d model the idea idea of being in service 20/20/60- 20% seniors, 20% juniors, and 60% peers. And so if you look at the five categories above, you might see that balance. The belonging may include guides or teachers who uplift you. The surrender may be that energy where you're giving it out. And then the legacy, the independence, and the safety is what you need.

 Service-based relationships offer a unique opportunity for growth and connection. By extending a helping hand to others, we not only uplift those around us but also experience profound fulfilment and joy. This Valentine's Day, consider engaging in acts of kindness and service—whether volunteering at a local shelter, supporting a friend in need, or simply offering a listening ear. Each act of service strengthens our connections and brings us closer together.

I want you to remember Jay’s 20/20/60 rule when you're building your relationships. Try to list people who you see every week, who you see every month, and figure out who sits in which category and whichever one you have a weakness in or a deficiency in, go and find them, build them, or create them.

Did you notice the words in the 5 pillars create the word BLISS! I don’t know about you, but when my relationships, values and actions are aligned my life feels pretty blissful! How about you?

With these five pillars as a guide, you can create deeper, more meaningful connections in 2024 and beyond. I want you to experience bliss. I want us all to experience so much belonging. I want us to feel connected to a legacy. I want us to experience independence. I want us all to have safety and security, and I want us to feel the benefits of surrender and service.

Our culture has become so much about “who reaches out to me, no one helps me.” Who are we reaching out to? Who are we lending a helping hand to?

I know you are. I know our community is made up of all of you, wonderful people who want to make an impact on the world, and I want you to keep discovering that.

Todays a great day to reflect on the relationships that matter most in our lives and nurture them with care, compassion, and intentionality.

Here’s to every day being Valentine's Day x