TALKING about a New Year's Resolution

I like social media.  It's a fun way to stay in contact with friends.  Since I've lived in so many places (and gone through so many years of education), I have friends all over.  Since people are so busy, social media makes it easy for me to stay up to date with what my friends are up to.  In the last few years, I've felt like I've been in contact with more people than usual.  This is good, as social connection is a key to human happiness.

Only so much can be conveyed over social media.  Sure I can see who was married and what movies my friends like.  But a lot of human communication is through tone of voice and facial expression.  Status updates do not convey feelings or emotions the way a face-to-face conversation does.  Though I feel more connected to more people now, I feel less deeply connected to my close friends.

My new year's resolution: Call a friend.

Let's be more specific. Training Peaks says not to make resolutions, but to make plans.  I plan to talk 2 friends a month.  The preferred method is via face-to-face conversation.  This is pretty easy for my friends in California.  For those far away, I plan a video chat.  So friends, do not be surprised if I randomly video call you.  I know that a recent NPR report said that many were uncomfortable with video chat, because the person you are calling may be having a bad hair day.  But, the expert reminded us: "Your parents, maybe your siblings or a very close friend, the people that you really want to video-call with are probably people that wouldn't mind if you're having a bad-hair day. They've seen your bad-hair days. They don't care."

I know that 2 friends a month seems like a small task, but think of how many of you I actually spoke to in a real face-to-face conversation in the past year.  Want to get the year started off to a good start?  Be one of the first to help me with my plans.  Contact me and let me know when you are free.  You can find me on Facebook, Gmail, Google+ (hangout preferred!), or your other favorite social media.