If the Shoe Fits: a Thought for Christmas
by Miki SaxonA Friday series exploring Startups and the people who make them go. Read all If the Shoe Fits posts here
During a recent conversation I heard several entrepreneurs say they didn’t have time, energy or money to invest in the holidays.
I get the money, but they are wrong about the time and energy, especially if they would like to goose both the creativity and productivity of themselves and their teams.
Just the act of getting away from your startup for a few hours, both mentally and physically and eating real food will clear your brain leading to improved creativity and productivity.
You can accelerate that improvement if you unplug completely.
The holidays are a tough time of year for many; even more so if they are feeling rejected—whether real or perceived.
Consider research that shows rejection and/or loneliness make people cold physically.
Just touching a warm object seems to stem the feelings and subsequent depression and even loss of self-worth.
Notably, touching something warm after a feeling of ostracism — like holding a warm cup of coffee — is enough to halt and even reverse some of these autonomic responses. (…) The findings, of course, don’t just explain why so many lonely souls while away the hours at Starbucks, embracing a warm cup of joe.
Knowing that, you can jump your own efforts an order of magnitude by taking a few minutes to reach out to someone who is lonely—not just now, but all year ’round.
You may not have the time or energy to volunteer, but how much effort does it take when you’re getting coffee to chat with a stranger who looks down?
And who knows what great things will result or what you may learn from your caring effort?
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Flickr image credit: HikingArtist