Loneliness
What it is telling youYou need connection more than rest. Reach out before you retreat.
How He Sees It.
In an essay that began as his newsletter, Eric noticed that some days he called himself tired when he had done almost nothing. Listening to Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead, he found a better word for some of those days: lonely.
During the pandemic he watched many people step back from friendships and hobbies. He did the opposite, and he describes the habits that made it possible, from podcast invitations to calling people out of the blue.
On Loneliness, Word for Word.
Each line links to the moment it was said or written.
“When we are lonely, we feel exhausted.”
“It takes tremendous vulnerability and courage to realize that we are lonely.”
“I go into every conversation believing that the other person is absolutely a fascinating human being, and that it’s my responsibility to figure out what is fascinating about them.”
What He Does With It.
Every couple of months, scrolls through his contacts and calls a few people out of the blue.
Episode 65: Stop Making This Mistake, It's Time to Step UpApplies his equation to friendship: quality equals quantity plus interaction.
Episode 65: Stop Making This Mistake, It's Time to Step UpSays hello to strangers, and calls friends on the chance they are nearby.
Episode 64: The Front Row Mentality: Motivation, Inspiration, and Success