Finding your tribe, the group of people that supports you, or supports a cause you’re invested in, can make all the difference. Knowing you can let your hair down and be yourself is comforting and exhilarating. When it happens, it’s worth writing about.
I experienced this during the last two weeks. A group of family historians came together, interested in maintaining the blogging resources at Geneabloggers.com as curator Thomas MacEntee moved on to other endeavors. In a matter of days, a group of twenty came together, and GeneaBloggersTRIBE.com started to take shape. Pat Richley-Erickson, aka DearMYRTLE, offered to co-lead (with me) the group through the transitions. (See “GeneaBloggers Announces GeneaBloggersTRIBE for more details.)
A tribe was born in more than one way. In addition to agreeing to take on a boat-load of work on short notice, they all want to support each other as well.
Finding Your Tribe Wherever You Are
If you think about it, you probably have a number of tribes. The people you have coffee with on a regular basis, the ones you can tell anything—or almost anything—to, and they’ll understand. Your church group. Child-hood friends. Long-time neighbors. The non-profit you volunteer for.
That sense of community you’ve found among other people is a story worth telling.
Your Turn: Telling Your Stories
When you write about finding your tribe, you can highlight
- When has finding a tribe made a difference in your life?
- What about the group provides you with a sense of belonging? Are they like-minded? Free of judgement?
- Who are the members that impact you the most?
- How did you find them? Did you go out intentionally and seek them out or did you stumble upon them?
- If it took you a long time to find them, what do you think blocked you?
- If you’ve found a professional tribe, what made you look for them? How have they made a difference?
- When have you failed to find a tribe? When have you felt out-of-step with those around you?
©2017 Laura Hedgecock
Image license: Canva.com, one-time use
Let’s be friends!