I had a laugh with my colleagues at work today. I genuinely enjoy their company. But there's a whole side of my life I never bring to my 9-5, because it's not their world, and that leaves me feeling a bit alone in it.
What I actually want is a group of ambitious friends. People I can talk to often and build things alongside.
Here's what bothers me. I'm already surrounded by ambitious people. I host a monthly networking event. I interview people on podcasts. I run online communities. And none of it has turned into a close group of friends.
So it isn't a problem with the people around me.
I am the problem.
Part of it is that I don't let people get close to me. The other part is that I'm always so busy in my own world, trying to do so many things at the same time, that I end up not doing any of them a hundred percent. Time for people is the first thing that gets squeezed out, simply because there's no deadline. And no deadline, and that means I don't add "time for people" on my calendar.
Sad, I know.
Then you look up and realise that being busy has cost you the very thing you were busy for. Not just friends. Time with the kids too.
Being surrounded by the right people is not the same as being close to any of them. That takes time, and you actually have to give up on other things.
So I need to give myself some advice. Make time to nurture real relationships. Not just virtual ones.