The most essential thing in life you can do is find your people. We all yearn for some connection, but misconceptions exist about building meaningful friendships and communities. There’s this belief that friendship should just happen, as if we just look hard enough, we will somehow find our new community, and we will just know we were meant to be BFFs from day one.
You don’t just find your people. Create them.
Finding your people and building a community requires deliberate action. You have to put yourself out there. But putting yourself out there can be challenging. It requires a willingness to be uncomfortable and endure the awkward, to break through barriers and connect with someone else on a “that’s my favorite candle!” in the Magnolia section at Target kind of level. Community and friendships are not just “found”; you must create them.
Building your community by putting yourself out there.
It takes courage – not the bravery kind of courage that we were made to believe as kids, but the gutsy, whole-hearted, “this is who I really am” kind of courage. It can be tempting to give up and avoid the risk of rejection. But connection is what drives the human race. If COVID taught us anything, it’s that we become disconnected after periods of isolation, heartache, grief, anguish, anxiety, or depression, to name a few.
Finding your people during motherhood.
Motherhood can be incredibly lonely, and sometimes we tend to be content with isolation and loneliness rather than risk rejection. But, the shortest distance between strangers and friends is a willingness to share ourselves and our stories. To find your people, you have to be willing to let someone else see that you don’t have it all figured out, put together, or under control.
We all have insecurities. But, despite them – or maybe more importantly because of them – we need to find a team of people to do life with. Connection is precious, and we are stronger together.
Why finding your people is so important.
We all have insecurities. But, despite them – or maybe more importantly because of them – we need to find a team of people to do life with. Connection is precious, and we are stronger together.
Community is critical to our overall well-being. Lack of connection is directly tied to the decline of mental health. Put yourself out there to meet and build relationships with others. We develop different parts of ourselves by being a part of larger communities. Get around those people in your life that are doing better than you. These people can keep you motivated and accountable and push you further. We all have a part to play, and our voices can be heard much louder when they’re together.
