Hey! This week we will talk about communities. A community is a big word and can mean different things to different people and it is often perceived as something too difficult to make an impact on – but that is not true at all! I believe all of us can change our communities but I’d suggest you start making little adjustments in your own personal community of your family and friends. Almost all of us live in a small community and if you don’t I’m sure you have either an opportunity to join one or you can create one of your own!
I’m thinking today of my family and friends. It is my space where I can make an impact and change things for the better. I’m thinking of how I raise my daughter, how I treat my family and friends and about my own attitude to life – everything I do and the words I choose when I talk will have an immense impact not only on my life and surroundings but also on theirs.
So what should we reflect on and what can we do? Well, first let me share some words of wisdom, something that I learnt years ago, namely: “what you present to others is what you will feel like”. What I mean to say is that you should start with your own happiness and then pay it forward. Always remember to be friendly, helpful and positive towards your own personal community. The support you show and the belief you have, will boost your network and it will be returned back to you – trust me. Why don’t you start with a phone call to your friend? Just to check in and ask if they need a boost or an uplift. And offer your time and put a good word in. Or you could help your neighbor in the garden or just carry their groceries – small gestures mean a lot ! Especially if you know that someone’s lonely or in need. If you make other people feel important, give them meaning and bring them joy, they hopefully will reciprocate to their own surroundings. The ripple effect is now in motion and slowly and steady, kindness will move through the communities.
So if you find yourself lonely I hope you are still willing to give it a go and try to spread kindness in your communities. There are a lot of things you can do to join a community and feel part of something, feel needed and to give to others. You can join a charity, a cooking class, an athlete club or a book circle and encourage your older or single neighbor to try it out with you! Join an existing community and make it your own if possible. After all we all need someone to rely on – we’re not created to stay lonely for long. We need to feel a part of something. To feel valued. We need something that will give our lives a deeper meaning – let’s look for it in our communities.. And if we are able to scale a community down, and look at it as our own little corner of the world, we should feel empowered to change it, because we truly can!. It’s amazing to feel that we can actually influence our immediate surroundings. Strengthen it, empower others and ourselves. Hence making life and our life settings better.
Today I would love to inspire you with a great artist and also an inspiring writer that made a difference in my life. They actually go great together. I often find soundtracks to the books I read and I recommend you to do so as well. The writer is Haruki Murakami and the artist is Bon Iver.
So stay safe, be kind to yourself and others!
Talk soon
/T
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