We have a generation that’s missing something.

We actually have a couple generations now that are missing things. Anybody born after the year 1980 is missing something. That thing is one of the beauties of making life work. It’s called the art of communication.

I see high school kids constantly on their phones texting. I see kids texting at age seven. I even saw a grandfather the other day in an elevator playing on his phone while his grandson was standing there bored. We’ve become a society of texters: people who no longer want to connect with the person standing next to them and would rather get into a heated text message conversation with somebody in a completely different location.

What is that? That’s called not being present.

Back when I was in my 20s, we didn’t have cell phones, and of course we didn’t have texting. Shit, we used to write phone numbers down on napkins and pieces of paper. And then if the other person didn’t pick up, we’d have to leave a message with whoever picked up and hope that the person we were trying to reach actually got the message.

And so in my 20s I was forced to learn how to be a good communicator. I was forced to learn how to go out there and talk to people every single day, because that was the only way I was really going to connect with people, by talking to them, by listening, and by being present.

These days we have a generation of shortcuts. I see a lot of the younger guys and the younger women asking me all the time for some kind of a shortcut to get the knowledge they want about dating and learning about the opposite sex. They want an F7 key for learning the art of seduction, or a Ctrl-8 key for getting a phone number, or Ctrl-C key so they can figure out how to make life work more smoothly.

There’s no shortcut to dating, and there’s no shortcut to life. Either you’re going to put in the time to learn how to be a good communicator, or you’re not. I don’t care if you’re a master at texting, if you can’t go out and meet people, what does it matter? Until they invent a way to meet people and get into a relationship via text so that you never have to look at somebody or talk to them, and all you do is bump into them and exchange information to show them what an amazing person you are, all the texting skills in the world won’t matter.

The bottom line is that if you do not spend time learning how to become a great communicator, you’re going to be alone. So put down the smart phone when you’re out and about. Stop incessantly texting people who aren’t in front of you sharing that moment with you. Take some time to connect with people who are sharing that moment with you.

I’m telling you, life is going to be far more enjoyable.