Working from home I almost always eat my lunch at my kitchen table with my dogs sitting directly beneath me, hoping for a stray piece of lunch meat to fall between my feet. Yesterday, for the first time in weeks, I had a lunch meeting scheduled with someone to talk about storytelling and some of the work we have in common. Besides being an generally amicable meeting, I left feeling less stressed about my day, gleeful to have made a new acquaintance, and eager to tackle the rest of my day. A short lunch had re-illuminated, for me, the benefits of simply sharing a meal with someone.
Lunch meetings take effort to make happen. You have to text before hand to find a time the works, pick a location, leave work a little early to be on time, and most likely disrupt your regular schedule. However, the benefits far outweigh the cost.
We know, from biographies, anecdotes, research, and wisdom from mentors that relationships are essential to being successful. I'd argue that success in every area of your life is dependent upon the health of your relationships.
The principle to "Never Eat Alone" is one to be applied less as a literal rule and more as a constant reminder that our network requires attention and investment.
If given the opportunity, share a meal with someone. If not given the opportunity, create it to ensure you never eat alone.
Action
Eat every lunch this week with someone else. At the end of the week, reflect on the impact it might have made on your week.
Question
What is preventing you from sharing a meal with others?
Quote
“Poverty, I realized, wasn’t only a lack of financial resources; it was isolation from the kind of people who could help you make more of yourself.” - Keith Ferrazzi, Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time