Happy “International Networking Week” my friend!!!

In case you didn’t know, February 4-10 is the “week of all weeks” in the business networking world.

Maybe you missed it in the array of Valentine’s Day displays of roses, chocolates, “Be Mines,” and more stuffed animals than ten carnivals combined at your local stores, pharmacies, and supermarkets?

I don’t think that there are any “International Networking Week” balloons, parades, greeting cards, or even television specials on Netflix.

This is an annual initiative from a business networking group of which I am a member. The celebratory week provides a platform for leaders across the globe to cultivate meaningful connections, foster collaboration, and unlock opportunities for long-term success (at least that is what the official statement says, anyway).

As awesome as “International Networking Week” can be…I see something beneath the surface, something quite profound: a reminder of how interconnected our world truly is.

Travel with my mind for a moment (my apologies for inviting you on this journey, but this is where my mind is wandering to at 5:39pm as I drink a late-afternoon mug of tea).

My “Raspberry Passion Perfect Energy” tea started as leaves in Japan, traveled across oceans, was processed, bagged, packaged, then delivered to a local Amazon.com warehouse, hung out there for a bit, and then arrived a couple weeks ago at my doorstep in the Metro Charlotte, North Carolina area.

Each step involved people, stories, and choices that ultimately landed that tea bag in my mug of hot water.

This, my friend, is the essence of international. Our lives are woven with invisible threads of internationalism.

The clothes we wear, the food we eat, the technology we use – all bear the mark of countless individuals interconnected across our globe.

The cotton in my Levis apparently is helping a Pakistani farmer educate his children. My breakfast banana was harvested by a Costa Rican who was supposedly paid a fair wage to do so. While my Samsung Chromebook was assembled by a Vietnamese technician who used renewable energy sources.

This interconnectedness isn't just a fascinating fact; it's a call to mindfulness. Realizing our choices ripple outwards, impacting lives and environments far beyond our immediate circle.

The tea I sip, the banana I peel, the laptop I type on – they all represent a chain of decisions with global implications.

So, the next time you reach for a product, some food, or a hot beverage, take a moment to consider its journey. It's not just something that magically appeared before you; it's a connection to a global network of people and ecosystems.

This awareness empowers us to make conscious choices, supporting responsible practices and fostering a more interconnected and sustainable future.

We're not isolated islands; we're part of a vast, dynamic web.

Let's use this “International Networking Week” (even if it doesn't have a special mini-series on Netflix), as a reminder to be mindful of our interconnectedness, and to consciously choose actions that weave a more positive tapestry for our shared world.

Now, excuse me while I finish my tea...remembering the farmer, the shipper, the packager, the Amazon.com driver, and everyone else who made this simple act of sipping possible.

After all, it's not just a drink; it's a global story in a mug. 🙂