Who’s In Your Corner?
Feeling like life is more than a bit out of control? It is—and, to be fair, it always has been. (But you probably weren’t looking for existential angst today lol.)
One thing that’s helping me now is revisiting my people. I’m making the effort to [re]connect with humans, familiar and new. And, bringing more intention to the WHO and the WHY of my outreach.
Here are the 3 People Buckets I’ve constructed to guide me. Each offers something important, and different:
My Peeps: People I just LOVE. We probably have history, perhaps been through sh!t, and I feel comforted and cared about in their presence. Could be close friends, my two sons, my husband, occasionally other family members. My peeps like me, too, which means of course they have extraordinary judgment, am I right?! I’ll lean on them, and we’ll laugh, too. I feel heard. I feel less alone. And, somehow the world feels a wee bit better afterwards.
Uncharted Connections: People who bring something I don’t: Could be a style of engaging, a fresh perspective, or folks in a completely different occupation, or stage of life. With them I feel like I’ve learned something, maybe had my assumptions challenged, and I get to remind myself that how I do my life is just one way of being in the world, not the way. NOTE: I’m using Substack to find new voices and groups acting -- successfully, more than you might think -- to slow and stop the unraveling of our democratic and American values.
Business Allies: People at all levels and sectors from past roles, or who hold roles now (paid or unpaid) aligned with our interests, bring industry knowledge, and much more. Our business network includes people who can mentor, better yet sponsor us, as we seek to develop professionally. Biz allies offer insights about next steps, career moves, and more. They connect us to valuable others, recommend us for work, hire us directly, and help us create our next opportunity. AND. Importantly, we do the same right back. See my September newsletter for business networking do’s and don’ts.
Does my list resonate with you? Who did I miss?!
Cultivating and nurturing our network requires attention, intention and loving care. When we’re really lucky, we find those rare people in our life who fit all three buckets.
So, my challenge to you today: Write down the names of a few people from each bucket you’d like to meet over Zoom, coffee, or for a walk. They could be oldies-but-goodies, or bold new adventures! Then, send them a note, maybe even pick up the phone and just call!
I bet you’ll be glad you did. And I’d love to hear how it goes.