… the human touch is becoming increasingly rare …

͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­

	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more What will you value most in 2026? I already know my answer. … the human touch is becoming increasingly rare … MARTINA NICOLLS Jan 4   READ IN APP   I already know that I will value the human touch more than anything else in 2026. The human touch is something increasingly rare, increasingly precious, and increasingly noticed when it appears. The world keeps getting faster and more efficient. We are encouraged, or almost trained, to interact with systems rather than with people. Online shopping replaces browsing. Apps replace conversations. Even when I make the effort to go in person to the supermarket or shop, I am often guided straight to a screen – to find something, to pay for it, and to leave feedback. Self-checkout. Scan. Pay. Feedback. Leave. Sometimes I stand there and think, quite genuinely: Is there a human here? It is becoming more difficult to know who actually works in a store. It’s harder to know whom to ask for assistance. Harder to catch someone’s eye without feeling like I’m interrupting. The architecture of modern life seems designed to remove the need for contact, and quietly, almost politely, it does so, without people’s consent. And yet. When a human does appear, when someone assists me at a counter, brings a coffee, helps with a question, or acknowledges my confusion, I notice it immediately. I feel more reassured that help is coming. I notice too that I now express my gratitude differently: more frequently, more strongly, more genuinely. “Thank you” has become a fuller sentence. Eye contact lingers. Smiles are less rushed. A conversation usually follows. At this point, I sometimes ask myself: Why does this matter so much to me now? I am not an extrovert. I am, if anything, an aging introvert. I don’t want crowds. I don’t want noise. I don’t want constant interaction. But I think that as I age, I become more attuned to what is real rather than convenient. Small, genuine, human moments reassure me that I still belong to the living fabric of the world. A brief exchange, a shared smile, a few kind words are not draining; they are anchoring. They don’t overwhelm my nervous system; they calm it. I am grateful that someone is present, and that I am still seen. It’s not because the assistance itself is extraordinary. It’s because their presence is. It is a human choosing to engage, a human choosing to help, and a human choosing to be there. In a digital world, this is no small thing. I don’t want more convenience in 2026. I don’t want more automation, more frictionless transactions, more invisible processes that leave no trace. I want moments that tell me I am not moving through life alone or unseen. I want the personal touch. I want the human touch. I want a human, flaws and all. I want conversations that aren’t optimized, interactions that aren’t scripted, and help that comes with a face and a voice. Perhaps valuing the human touch also means offering it more deliberately: being present, being patient, being kind in ways that aren’t efficient but are meaningful. Perhaps it means resisting the urge to disappear behind screens when a human moment is possible. So, if you were to ask me what I will value most in 2026, I wouldn’t say productivity or growth or innovation. I would say this: The quiet relief of realizing there is a human here. Upgrade to paid Or Buy Me A Coffee Can’t see the whole article? Want to view the original article? Want to view more articles? Go to Martina’s Substack: The Stories in You and Me More Paris articles are in my Paris website The Paris Residences of James Joyce Upgrade to paid Share Invite your friends and earn rewards If you enjoy The Stories in You and Me , share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe. Invite Friends   Like Comment Restack   © 2026 MARTINA NICOLLS PO Box 16 No 15975 Nobby Beach QLD 4218 AUSTRALIA Unsubscribe

Cross Fit for the Mind

Confidence vs. Doubt

Cross Fit for the Mind The Newsletter that Changes the Minds of High Performers

When you first learned to drive you had more doubt than confidence because you were learning to do something you hadn't done before. On some level, this made the experience of driving unpleasant because no-one likes to do things they are not very good at. Because of the necessity of driving, you persist and one day without realising the confidence overtakes the doubt. It's not that you no longer feel doubt, like maybe when attempting your first long drive, it's just that the confidence is bigger than the doubt and therefore, the long drive is more exciting than unpleasant. This is the sweet spot. We have confidence to do something even though we feel uncomfortable. Eventually, driving becomes tedious, we have lost the sweet spot. Every new endeavour worthwhile must begin with more doubt than confidence and therefore, must be unpleasant. What might you take up that requires this journey to the sweet spot between confidence and doubt? Enjoying the newsletter and want a friend to sign up and answer the questions/prompts with you? You can send them this link to sign up. Peter Check out my web-site: peterfrancis.ie and email me at: growth@peterfrancis.ie

This email was sent by Peter Francis Performance Coaching, Waterford, Waterford, Waterford, X91N2D5, Ireland Unsubscribe