This content was created by Thomas Anglero. This content was uploaded by Thomas Anglero. This is a podcast episode (Soul of Innovation) titled "Why Your Feeling Lonely During Covid," created August 23, 2020. It is a monologue by host Thomas Anglero in which he reflects on loneliness and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. He recounts personal anecdotes (store, house viewing, neighbors) to criticize excessive avoidance, encourages eye contact, handshakes and hugs, argues fear weakens the immune system, and urges listeners to choose connection and joy. The episode ends with contact information (anglero.com) and social links. Metadata: PODCAST, thumbnail provided.
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Hello and welcome to the Soul of Innovation podcast. I am the host, Thomas Anglero, and my mission for this podcast is to share with you those private thoughts and reflections that I have being one of the top keynote speakers around the world on technology, motivation, and innovation. I hope you truly enjoy all the lessons I share, all the dots I connect that sometimes are just really difficult to get out but it's all for you. I truly hope you enjoy this episode.
Welcome to the Soul of Innovation podcast. I am Thomas Anglero, and I want to talk to you about falling in love, being close to someone, or just affection in this time post-COVID or during COVID I think this is really important because I don't think anybody— well, one, no one talks about this, and I think we all think about this. And I'm sure if you're a single person or a person in a relationship but you feel like you're single, you're wondering to yourself How do I get the physical closeness that I need? How do I get the emotional contact, the emotional connection that I need? I was in the store the other day waiting online. With my wife and we're talking and as the line is moving up, there's a woman in front of us, girl, she's about 20, young, early 20s, and instead of just moving up as the line moves up, she's literally jumping about 3 feet, about a meter every time. And of course you can't help but notice this because everybody else is sort of taking that little step, little step as the line moves up and she's jumping And she finally turns around to us and says, "I'm trying to keep my distance. I'm trying to keep my distance. COVID, COVID." Yesterday, I was in a new neighborhood I'd never been before, going to see a house that was for sale, just to see this architecture of the house and the neighborhood, which is different. While I was there, people were keeping their distance like we all had the plague. No eye contact. It was— people were hurting themselves. There was this one couple. As I came into the house, she— the woman, not the man, there were a couple, sorry— the woman backed herself into a closet. She backed herself into a closet. It wasn't her house. To avoid looking at me. It wasn't that we were to touch. It wasn't that we're going to pass each other by. It wasn't that our shoulders would, would rub. It was to avoid eye contact. As we left the house, There was a neighbor woman who was smiling as we were coming out. I guess she was checking out all the people checking out the house. And then we went for a walk to see what the backyard was like, and the neighbor woman decided to go for a walk too. And as we passed her, I said, "Hi!" Because you always look people in the eye, you always smile. She shook like she had an electrical shock in her because she had to reply back.
So she said, "Hi," but looking away.
What's happened? What are we doing to ourselves? What are you doing to you? Are you one of these people? Are you avoiding people? Are you avoiding eye contact with people? Are you avoiding shaking people's hands? And most profoundly, I need to ask you, When's the last time you offered to give someone else a hug? Now I know you're going, "COVID, I'm gonna die," and all this stuff. This is a personal choice, but this is the whole point. It is a personal choice you have made, not society, not bad luck, not the people in China, Wuhan, and all those stories. It is you who determines your own fate. You determine the situation you're in. You determine whether or not you don't want to be loved or feel affection or want to feel so damn lonely. I see people— I've never seen people look so lonely before, of all age groups, and it's totally self-inflicted. Do you know when you walk around in fear, your immune system drops through the floor? You compromise your immune system when you walk in fear. Fear of they're gonna catch a virus, fear you're gonna die. Fine, so you compromise your immune system, which means your body cannot protect itself, and even the common cold's gonna nail you now. Stupidity. So now you compromise your immune system, you can pick up anything that's out there, even stuff that's probably not even that, that bad. Yours will be pretty bad to you because your immune system is dropped. And you're not loved. You're in a shit situation. Look what you've done to yourself. I think it's enough. People need to understand that this is a decision that you have made. Just stop. Look people in the eye. You can't get a freaking virus by looking people in the eye. It costs nothing. Smiling at someone costs nothing. You don't get a virus from that. I'll tell you something. This is what I'm doing. I continue to shake hands. I continue, emphatically continue to give hugs. You could think that I'm being bad, ignorant, selfish, whatever stupid words you want to use, my choice. And it's a choice the other person to accept it or just to reject it. And it's fine and it's not personal.
But you know what?
Over 90%, now let's say 80, no exaggeration, 80% of everybody when I put out my arms, said, "I'm going to give you a hug," they Their eyes go up, their shoulders drop, like, yes. And guess what? They and I are both still here, and we're both not dead, and we're both not sick.
Do you understand?
This is all bullshit. It's bullshit if you think it's bullshit. If you want love, give love, you'll get love. Bottom line. Stop using this moment, stop using all this, this stuff that's going on to further nail in the feelings that you have inside of you, reinforcing them and make you feel even worse in your life, worse. Everyone around you needs a hug. Everyone around you needs you. Smile, hug, enjoy the people around you. Enjoy your life, enjoy your moments. You can't get them back. Don't give in to the fear, don't give in to the stories. Live the life you want to live. Your immune system will not be compromised, will be stronger than hell because you're walking around in a state of bliss and happiness and confidence. No virus or anything can touch you, and you're gonna be a magnet towards everyone. Start living your life and stop living the life that the newspapers, TV, and all these horrible internet websites provide. Live the life you want to live. Be the person you want to be and be so happy and be full of love. And don't be those people I see now who are so lonely. And it's completely self-inflicted. Okay, a little bit of different tone this time, and that's because I feel sad. And I really feel sad mostly for those— these are women. If you notice, in my stories, it was a young girl, a woman, the neighbor.
Men, I don't pay too much attention to.
But I do. But I'm— I hurt when I see people who are lonely, and I don't want you to be lonely. So from me to you, and Stur Klem, a huge hug with a double squeeze. I love you. Go forth Spread beauty and light and eye contact and see people. Until the next time.
Thank you for listening to that episode. If you want to contact me, you can contact me on my website at anglero.com, and you can also subscribe to the newsletter, or you can find me anywhere on social media with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Thank you so much, and I hope to hear from you very soon.
