How to Create Meaningful Connections With Others

After graduating from college, I was excited about embarking on my new life outside of school. I planned on traveling, moving away from my small town, and being successful.I landed my first job in the city and moved into my first apartment. I was finally on my own, completely independent, and proud of what I had achieved. But eventually, my college friends left and moved back to their hometowns. With my family 4 hours away, I was completely alone.And I wasn’t prepared for this. Granted, I kept up with my friends on Instagram, group texts, and facetime, but just didn’t compare to having them around the apartment or with me on a night out on the town. I was disconnected and lonely.As spiritual beings, we need to feel connected to others and the world around us. Meaningful connections are vital to our human experience. In truth, our lives are the sum of our connections to others: parents, grandparents, friends, teachers, and the universe.

What are meaningful connections?

Meaningful connections are relationships that uplift us and nurture our souls. They are relationships that support and encourage our growth as individuals. They help us to grow our spiritual intelligence and remind us of our core values. These connections are intentional, and they are meant to inspire us, provide peace, understanding, and a safe place for us.

How do you create meaningful connections?

Creating meaningful connections is going to require patience and deliberate effort on our part. We first have to commit ourselves and the connections we are seeking to a higher power. Meaningful connections are an essential part of your spiritual experience because you will be supported and help support someone on a mutual quest to become more enlightened beings.We also have to believe that everyone is worthy of meaningful connections and be open to connecting with various people. According to clinical psychologist Jennifer Wendt, Ph.D., connecting with a variety of people throughout our lives helps us “experience something different such as a new inspiration, new information, or a unique bond that helps bring out different parts of our whole being.” Wendt also encourages us to be available to interactions initiated by others.Opportunities for meaningful connections are all around us, and aren’t limited to just those we share a deep bond with. It can happen with our neighbors, our co-workers, within our spiritual communities, and even people we come across in passing. To harness these connections, be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and venture into new spaces, making your presence felt and engaging with new people.Establishing these connections will require us to be authentically imperfect. We have to be willing to embrace our vulnerability in order to show others that we too are worthy of connection. We have to be what we want to attract—good listeners, and warm, caring, peaceful, grounded people.Most importantly, developing meaningful connections takes daily dedication. The energy these connections create will help us reach new heights of joy, wholeness, and spiritual fulfillment.