Let me first tell you a bit about Micah Sims…
I had people that I was closer to than Micah, but none capable of being such a great friend to so many different people.
Let me quickly share two of my most vivid memories of Micah, and then I’ll get to the point of this post.
Memories of Micah
1.) During his funeral, Micah’s youth minster gave the ultimate compliment. He described him as “Authentically Micah.”
Can you imagine a better way to be remembered?
In a time where so many of us are scared to be who we really are, Micah was always himself. That never changed—no matter who he encountered.
2.) Micah was capable of bringing so many different circles (cliques if you will) together. Everyone smiled and had fun with each other in his presence, and at his concerts, which, of course, included the impromptu ones sitting on a tractor tire next to a bonfire.
Building Relationships
There’s the cool circle, the social media circle, the Young Entrepreneurial circle.
But, how many people can successfully interweave all these circles? How many people don’t need any of these circles to define who they are? And how many people can build valuable relationships with people from each circle?
Micah could’ve.
Micah was friends with the jocks, the loners, the stoners, the thespians, and the nerds. In fact, when Micah was around most of these lines blurred completely.
For those of you out there in the crowd, that are a little timid, whether you’re a jock, a novice, a work at home mom, or a college student, please come forward if you want help.
I get a whole lot of e-mail, and again, I’m so grateful that people think I have something to share that could benefit their blog, their business, their life. I try to answer every single one, but if I miss yours please don’t think I have done so intentionally. Send Another.
You can bet your ass I want to connect with Chris Brogan, Gary Vaynerchuk, Leo Babauta, and Scott Monty.
But I also want to connect with you.
It shouldn’t matter if someone has 165,000 Twitter followers or 300. Who cares?
I think what I’m trying to say is that everyday I aspire to be a little bit more like Micah in building relationships. I think we all should, because if we do, we can change this world.
Micah changed it everyday.
Great article. I would have loved to meet Micah. There’s always that one guy that transcends all barriers. And you’re right, it’s all about being true to yourself.
We can learn a lot from him, and people we know like him and apply that to marketing and more specifically our communications.
My only problem with the article is that I’m the bottom metric on Twitter. Come on, no one wants to be the baseline. Excuse me mister “Look at me I’ve got almost 2K followers”. And 300? How about 30? I thought 300 was pretty damned good. And just for the record, I’m four away from 400. 🙂
And thanks for the handful of pity followers I got. I guess I should start tweeting again…
@Matt – I don’t know that it’s really your ‘genre’ of music, but I do have his only CD, and I’ll be happy to loan it to you to burn if you’re interested.
Ryan, you’ve nailed it. It’s about the quality of relationships, and the richness they bring to our lives and vice versa.
I know Chris & I share the same philosophy on following back our Twitter followers – we automatically do it, without looking at their influence because it’s polite and who knows what amazing things we’ll learn?
I’ve always been very much like Micah in my own friendships. They come from all over and I value the texture and variety interactions they bring to my life.
Nice post.
@Scott – That’s my philosophy as well Scott. Obviously, I try to prune out the blatant spammers, but you never know what you can learn from someone. Obviously I could learn a LOT from someone like you, but someone who is not necessarily an influencer could potentially give me the golden nugget I need.
I think it’s great that you engage so many different kinds of people. I try to, but will admit that my closest friends are very much like me. I suspect it’s a result of playing ball and growing up with those guys all the time.
Ryan–I was at the GTD Summit last week–a fairly select group of highly motivated folks. And I looked around during one of the mixers and thought–all these folks, doing cool things. I just don’t have time to add value to their lives–I’ve just got too much going on right now. But then I realized, I could simply quit planning ahead and just be extroverted right then just to talk with someone. Without planning to follow up. So I did.
“Micah was a guy who fit with every group. He didn’t need a group to define himself.” What a compliment.
@Jeff – Yeah, I walk that same line sometimes. A lot of people are wanting to set up appointments for my free consulting offer, and I want to accommodate everyone, but often times the best way to get me is spontaneously when I’m online. Knowing you though, you find a way to provide value, or connect them with someone who can.
Love this Ryan! 🙂 Didn’t know you were a blogger. Will have to stay updated. Hope you are well. xo