The Organisational Gardener

We all want to be seen.  Nowadays we can have the sensation that we are seen by posting in social media and being followed, or the number of likes given to a photo, video or article we publish to the world to see and be seen. 

In the professional arena we post to position ourselves, our work, our personal brand.  We are all unique and different, but we are competing with our own uniqueness to be the best, the first and the only one. 

In our personal lives we post or share to be acknowledged, recognised, admired having an adventurous life, or at least a different life to the people left back home, or next door. 

We crave for connection, to be seen, not only surrounded. We are surrounded by people all the time, in the streets, the bus, the train or the plane; and we just continue our daily life to our destination without really seeing the other, and even less feeling being seen. 

Think about your neighbours, how many have you seen, talked to, invited over to your house for dinner? Have you nodded your head to at least acknowledge each other’s existence? Have you waved good morning? Have you done small talk? Have you introduced yourself and maybe propose a tea or coffee time? Even better, have you invited over for a BBQ in summer or a dinner in winter? From small gestures to big steps forwards one can start neighbouring.   

Neighbouring to be seen.  Seen by the people around you at home, in the office, on the way there and back.  Seen not by the digital friends and followers, but by real people close to you.  Experiencing life in a similar manner, at least because both of you are living in the same context of village, town, city, bioregion or country.  Let’s explore “neighbouring” to see and be seen, because let’s admit we all want that. A sense of being safe, surrounded by good friends and resilient because in bad or good situations there is somebody out there ready to support us, because we are willing to do the same.