Remembering the power of community

This weekend my husband and I brought our 8 year-old to a neighbor’s house for a small backyard BBQ. 

[Oof: remember socializing?! I’m gonna need a lot more practice at this!]

As we sat in a circle eating and talking, my son pulled up a chair beside me and offered to show the group his new favorite library book: “Optical Illusions.”

Filled with eye-popping illustrations and seemingly-magical tricks, Eli had the audience hooked from the first page. 

With each trick he shared, the adults ooh’d and ahh’d — and Eli beamed with pride.

Later that night, as he and I climbed the stairs to tuck into bed, I asked Eli what he learned at the party about grown-ups.

“Grown-ups,” he said, “really like to laugh.”

You got that right, kiddo.

We are social beings. We long to be together. To laugh and cry and learn together.

The pandemic made us feel like we had to be alone – and really, we did. 

In a sick twist, the very thing we yearned for was the one thing we had to avoid to stay safe. 

Now, as the world unfolds into our new normal, we are re-learning how to be together.

But really: we are remembering why to be together.

Sitting with my neighbors this weekend reminded me of the value of being in community.

Of proactively finding connections, building relationships, and deepening bonds.

Of learning about myself through learning about others.

Of not being alone.

In early March 2020, I had just launched my first cohort of the Women’s Leadership Circle. 

We met for our first call, and then a week later, everything stopped.

We knew in that instant we needed to be together even more than before.

I believe each of us has the power and potential to become the leader of our lives.

Even more, I believe that we have a duty to take ownership of the direction we’re heading in, and design the world we want to live in.

Fundamentally, this is what my program content is about: leading our lives.

The part I didn’t really expect, what I sort of glossed over at first, was the part about the Circle.

The part about being in community. About doing it together.

The road to leadership — whether at work or in life — can be a quiet, lonely one paved with self-doubt and inner struggles.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

You don’t have to be that way.

Whether it’s the Women’s Leadership Circle or another community, now is the time to find your people.

Yes, it can feel scary and awkward and vulnerable.

But we are meant to be together.

We are meant to learn from each other, inspire one another, support each other.

And yes, even — especially — laugh together.

Onward,

PS: There’s one week left to join the June Women’s Leadership Circle! If you’re thinking about it, now is the time to book a call with me to get your questions answered. Read more and sign up for a time here.