One of life's greatest beauties is the sense of belonging, fitting in, and feeling like we are part of a family. Inside each of us, we have an innate desire to feel accepted, loved, appreciated, and dare I say it, special.
So it goes without saying that this desire extends itself to more than just our immediate families; it goes wherever we go. The obvious places to experience this feeling of "belongingness" include our work environment, among friends, in the community, at churches, through professional organizations, and even at local hangouts.
However, it wasn't too long ago that I experienced this while attending an Internet Mastery workshop. I have never witnessed something like this before. It was truly one of a kind, and like grandma's unforgettable recipe, this event had all the right ingredients, including (for those of you who have seen Kung Fu Panda) the "secret ingredient." There was warmth, laughter, education, engagement, connection, and for the secret ingredient...drum roll please... family, both literally and figuratively. What do I mean?
Starting with the mastery team, the event included their amazing founder, Adam (whom we were lucky enough to have present at our location); then there was the staff that interacted with us like cool friends, and the founder's lovely fiancée, Lori, and both their immediate families.
As for the guest list, it literally included families--spouses and kids (as young as 12) whom were invited to share in this educational and entrepreneurial opportunity for all ages. Talk about a family affair!
As the hours passed, I was looking forward to the following morning to see what the next day had in store; excitement flooded my being. Yes, indeed I was learning so many cool and new things, but really at the heart of it, there was much more than met the eye. What made it so special was how they made me feel. They were helpful, open, honest, and real. I, as well as many others, appreciated that, as we commented delightfully during a family style meal at a local Chinese restaurant organized for this event. The company was excellent. The food was good. And the special was family. (pun intended)
I use this example as a rather random and atypical illustration that no matter where you are, a sense of family can be created... for what the true definition of family can really mean is this: people that leave you remembering just how special you are!
So it goes without saying, "They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." Thus family is more than a relationship we can define and truly something we can create.
