Your own kinship group likely contains more diversity of thought, interest, skill, talent, achievement, desire, and wisdom than you ever imagined⏤all there for you to enjoy and benefit from.

You love your cousin and spoke to him just yesterday, but avoid his younger brother like the flu. Your aunt is an absolute delight, and you visited her just last week, but it’s hard to find time for your uncle. You text your older brother almost daily but talk to your younger sister only at weddings and funerals. Every family has connections that feel close, seamless, natural, and others that never really clicked into place or felt worth exploring and nurturing. Yet, an undeniable truth about people is that every single person who walks this earth is interesting in some way⏤if you take the time to get to know them. What better place to start than within your own family?

There’s a cliché in business that when starting a new venture, one should lean first on friends and family because these are networks you are already a part of versus ones you have to build from scratch. Family is especially unique in that it’s a network built by nature, and nature is an experienced and creative builder. For every one person in your family that you connect with on a regular basis, there are probably five that you barely know. Consider changing this today.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

  • Who is your closest living relative that has gone the longest without hearing from you or seeing you in person?
  • Is there anyone in your family that you’ve always wanted to know better but who you never dared talk to? Every family has that super-dynamic and successful person who feels intimidating to approach.
  • Are there family members about to leave this earth that you have questions to ask or issues to resolve with?
  • Are there members of your family that you never took the time to know but that you intuitively feel you would connect well with?
  • Are there family members you used to be close to that you fell out of touch with?
  • Are there family members whose skills or interests compliment yours?
  • Are there new family members (spouses, children) that you haven’t met yet or who you never took the time to get to know?
  • Are there members of your family that would benefit from your mentorship or guidance?
  • Are there any hidden gems in your family⏤interesting individuals you may be completely overlooking without realizing it?

Copyright 2023 Kesel Wilson (entirely, 100% human-created)

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