It has slowly dawned on me that I have become a “do as I say, not as I do” kind of guy, as I have not attended to my own social connections with any particular care. With my son off to college in September and many of my friends retiring and some even moving away, I am at risk of the same type of social isolation that I regularly warn people about.

So I’m going to do something about it. It’s a project called “The Year of Living Socially” where I will be committing to do all the things I give advice on, but don’t do myself. It will be a story-telling project, a social media project, a video project and somewhere down the line a book project but mostly it will be a journey to find friendship and community in an era increasingly defined by loneliness and alienation. 

You’re no doubt wondering, “what can I do to help Ken?” Thank you for asking:

Make suggestions. We’re all experts in social connection – both in good ways and bad – so I’m eager to hear from you about what works, what doesn’t, who you met, what’s helping you be socially connected as you age (and what’s blocking you), and most importantly, what do you think I should do come September 2.

Follow along.  We’ve launched the Year of Living Socially accounts on Instagram and TikTok. We’ll be posting new videos at least once a week so if this interests you, please watch, like, follow and share. And if it doesn’t interest, do me a solid and share the project anyway.

DIY YOLiS. The U.S. is filled with lonely people who are waiting for others to take the first step. Take your first step in your own YOLiS journey—and share your story with us!