“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” — Marcus Aurelius
Life is more beautiful with profound relationships. When we let ourselves be vulnerable and open ourselves up to another human being, we find intrinsic value and support from those we love. It is important for us to nurture these relationships — as it is important for those we love to find similar connections with us. Simple things like listening, communicating, and being there for someone can indicate your willingness to connect and show support, but what are some other signs that you are a person who can connect deeply with other human beings?
You do away with the small talk.
I mean, you can small talk along with the rest of them. You know how, and it isn’t tricky. But you are generally on the hunt for something more stimulating. You are looking for the person in the room who seeks a more meaningful conversation — something you can learn about, that stimulates your mind.
You love exploring the meaning of life.
There’s nothing you love more than a good yarn, but particularly a yarn that challenges your current ideas, your thoughts, and your very existence. You gravitate toward the people you know are going to give as good as they get, and you whittle away at ideas together, happily losing hours of time.
You can see strengths in people easily.
You don’t judge too harshly. You know that everybody is on their own journey of learning and has come from their own experiences with life. You can, however, see the goo shining from within. This is not something everybody has. And even when somebody does something not so nice, you can see beyond that to the reason why it might be happening. Instead of berating them, you understand that there is goodness there too.
You always question the meaning of the things you do.
You are constantly self reflecting. You understand that life, and the enjoyment of life, comes from growth and you relish in the change that brings. As humans we can make mistakes, but it is up to us to acknowledge our behavior patterns, and make good of them.
You are a sensitive person.
Many people misinterpret this factor. Sensitive people are often misconstrued as shy, quiet, easily offended, or somewhat helpless. This is untrue. Being sensitive means you are more tuned in to human frequencies. Yes you might feel very hurt, or embarrassed, or silly over things that tougher people might not bat an eyelash at, but this doesn’t mean you aren’t equipped to deal with that. What it does mean is that you are able to gain deeper insight with other humans and situations outside of yourself, that less sensitive people cannot. Sensitive people can connect deeply because they feel things on another level, and they can be more thoughtful. While they perhaps experience ugliness on a deeper emotional level, so too do they experience great beauty. You can spot a good heart a mile away.
You’re always curious to know what someone has experienced and endured in all those years.
You love people life stories! It’s one of your great joys, to know and to understand where someone has come from, how they arrived from place to place, or why they made the decisions that they did. You want to learn from other human beings and you want to communicate with them in order to do so. Everybody has a story to tell. It shows great kindness to ask another human being about themselves, and to truly listen to their story.
