And it’s one of those things that seems so obvious to me — but somehow gets missed all the time.
People are still people.
Even online.
We may not be face to face… We may never shake hands… We may never even hear each other’s voices… But that doesn’t mean we don’t feel each other. Because we do.
💭 You Can Feel It… Even Through a Screen
Have you ever landed on a site and thought:
“Something feels off here…”
“I don’t feel comfortable…”
“This just feels… cold”
You may not be able to explain it. But you feel it.
And the opposite is true too. You land somewhere and think:
“I like this place”
“This feels welcoming”
“I want to stay here a bit”
That’s not an accident. That’s the vibe.
🛍️ This Isn’t Just an “Online Thing”
I’ve always looked at this the same way I did in my offline businesses.
Whether it was my gift shop… or years in landscaping…
One thing was always true: 👉 How you treat people matters. Not just what you offer. Not just what you sell. But how people feel when they interact with you.
🍕 Two Pizza Places on the Same Block
I’ve used this example before… Two pizza places.
Same size. Same location. Same menu.
But one owner:
knows your name
smiles when you walk in
makes you feel like you belong
The other?
just takes your order
barely looks up
treats you like a number
Which one do you go back to?
📺 It’s the “Cheers” Effect
Remember the show Cheers?
“Where everybody knows your name”
That feeling didn’t disappear just because we moved online. If anything… People need it more now.
⚠️ Where Things Go Wrong Online
Somewhere along the way, people started thinking:
“It’s online… so it doesn’t matter”
But it does.
You can:
come across as rushed
cold
disconnected
or like you don’t really care
And people pick up on it instantly.
💡 Why This Matters More Than Ever
You can have:
all the features
all the tools
all the bonuses
But if people don’t feel good being there… They won’t stay. They won’t engage. And they won’t support you.
🌱 What People Are Really Looking For
It’s not complicated. People want to:
feel seen
feel appreciated
feel like they matter
That’s it.
😊 A Little Thought to Leave You With
You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to do everything right. But how you show up? That matters. Because even online…
👉 People can still feel you.
I had a conversation today that reminded me of this… People don’t always say it directly… but you can tell when they feel comfortable… and when they don’t
💬 Final Thought
Life can get in the way… We all have things going on.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t still be decent with people.
Treat others the way you would like to be treated… Even if that isn’t always what you receive in return.
I woke up this morning thinking it was going to be just another normal day. You know… coffee, check a few things, get moving. Instead… I got a full-blown lesson in patience, technology… and apparently… toilet paper budgeting 😄
I had just put a new SIM card into my phone. At first, everything seemed fine. Then things got weird. My old number came back — which was good. Calls worked — also good. I could send texts — still good.
BUT…
I wasn’t receiving ANY texts. No incoming messages. No verification codes. Nothing.
And of course… right about that moment… 👉 my stomach decided we were having an emergency too 😳
So now I’m standing there thinking: “Great… my phone is broken… and everything depends on this working.” Stress level? 👉 Let’s just say it went from zero to MAX pretty quickly.
After a bit of digging (and calming down), I found out what was actually going on. Nothing was broken. My number was fine. The network just needed time to “catch up” after the SIM change. Apparently, even phones need a little time to figure things out. Who knew? 😄
But here’s where the story takes a turn… While I was sitting there recovering from my little panic episode… I realized something. I had just switched off US Cellular. And because of that… 👉 I’m saving $27 a month. Now most people would think: “Oh nice, that’s extra money.” Not me. Nooooo… not my brain. My brain immediately said: 👉 “Oh good — that’s my toilet paper money!” 🧻😂 Because the last time I bought the big pack at Walmart… It was $27. Exactly.
And I laughed. I mean REALLY laughed. The kind where you can’t stop. Tears in your eyes. Can’t breathe. Everything just resets.
And just like that…The stress was gone.
💙 The real takeaway
Sometimes things feel like they’re going completely wrong. Technology glitches. Things don’t work when we expect them to. Our brain jumps straight to worst-case scenarios. But then… You find out everything is actually fine. And sometimes… You even find something to laugh about.
So today? ✔ My phone is working ✔ My service is cheaper ✔ My stomach survived ✔ And I now officially have a toilet paper budget 😄
😂 Life lesson
If you can turn a stressful moment into something you laugh about… You’re doing just fine. And if that moment somehow turns into toilet paper money? Well… That’s just a bonus.
Thanks for sharing this little adventure with me today. And if you’ve ever had one of those “everything is broken… oh wait, never mind” moments…
Just know…👉 you’re not alone And maybe… 👉 you just found your own version of toilet paper money 💙
What if… someone really heard all of what you were trying to explain —
how you were feeling and why —
instead of only hearing the parts that felt hurtful to them?
And then… neither of you really accomplished anything.
There was a time in my life when I struggled with that.
I’ve never been very good at putting into words exactly how I was feeling or trying to say.
And sometimes… it came out wrong.
Or something I said was taken the wrong way.
Been there… done that.
Over time, I guess I’ve learned to listen more.
And I’ve definitely learned to let a person finish their whole train of thought before reacting.
Sometimes, for me, it’s better to walk away and mull it over instead of reacting right away.
Most of the time, I’ve found that after you take time to sort through what that person was really trying to say…
you can see a different perspective.
Not that I always agree with them —
but I can understand where they’re coming from better.
This is something I’ve even learned to do online with my sites.
When something breaks…
isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do…
or is just being a genuine PITA…
Those are the times you need to walk away and calm down.
Because when you come back, your mind seems to say,
“Okay… I’m ready to tackle this now.”
Even with support messages — and we all get them —
telling us everything we’ve done wrong…
Maybe you missed putting in a code…
or forgot to set a claim page…
There was a time I would get so upset with myself.
But now?
I just laugh… fix the problem… and move on.
Most of you know my favorite line by now:
“See… that proves I’m not a machine — I still make mistakes.” (giggle)
Sometimes the greatest growth comes from becoming the person you once needed most.
