A Flourishing Community
Today marks the United States presidential election of 2024. And this article is posting at 1:00am MDT before the polls have opened and we have the privilege, as American citizens, to cast our vote for the leadership of our country.
No matter the outcome, we are all part of the human family, children of God, and of great worth and belonging. And each of us chooses to contribute and build or ignore and destroy our communities. We choose to invite and nurture or reject and spurn.
I invite you to make a choice today and each day moving forward. Choose to love. Choose to build. Choose to invite. Choose to create a community of belonging.
"A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong." -Brene Brown
TRUTH
Christine Porath, a well-known researcher in how workplaces and other community environments thrive, found the following strategies to be most effective for building community after observing multiple, diverse communities around the world. She suggests leaders can best build communities by:
- sharing information
- unleashing people (to utilize their talents and creativity)
- creating a respectful environment
- practicing radical candor (openness/honesty)
- providing a sense of meaning
- boosting community members
Your "community" may be your family or a work or civic or religious group. And most likely, you are part of multiple communities. These strategies apply to each one. Yet, not every leader or participant considers what makes communities thrive.
What is one strategy you can share and exemplify in your community?
“The individuals belong to the community compliment one another existentially. Each individual possesses something unique, rare, which is unknown to others; each individual has a unique message to communicate, a special color to add to the communal spectrum. Hence, when a lonely man joins the community, he adds a new dimension to the community awareness. He contributes something which no one else could have contributed. He enriches the community existentially; Every person has something to contribute in this life. No one’s life is replaceable. Everyone matters.” -Rabbi Jill Zimmerman
BEAUTY
Meet teenage community builder - Legacy Jackson. As a young child, Legacy noticed kids in need and began the non-for-profit community service organization, "Little Legacies" which has blessed communities through canned food drives, donated Christmas cards, free dance lessons, recycled crayon drives, shoe and book collections, and more since 2016. This organization focuses on providing kids volunteer opportunities so they can help and bless their communities
Legacy is an example of the extraordinary power we have - at any age - to lead and touch our world with beauty and kindness.
GOODNESS
The goodness of a community depends upon the goodness of its individuals. And we have all been influenced by the kindness and goodness of others in the communities we belong to. Have we told these individuals, "Thank you"?
When we purposefully and specifically express gratitude to those who have blessed our lives in any way - we strengthen our relationships with them - which results in a stronger community.
Day 3 of our 7-Day Gratitude Challenge is "Gratitude Letters." When we give and even receive "thank you" notes, our brain is redirected to pay attention to what we have, which strongly increases our awareness of the present and produces intrinsic motivation.
12 days ago, I wrote a list - that kept growing - of individuals who have recently helped, inspired, and encouraged me. I was impressed by the influence each person had in my life. And I was so thankful.
I chose 5 names from my list and sent each one a detailed, hand-written note thanking them for their added goodness in my life. And, I made myself a promise - which I will report back to you on here in the Inspire Love Blog.
The promise is this: Each week, I will write 5 thank-you notes (or more) to individuals on my list. And no doubt, this list will continue to grow as I continue to be blessed by people in my community.
Will you join me in finding a consistent way that works best for you to strengthen your community through gratitude?
EXCELLENCE
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, "Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve." I agree! No matter our current circumstances - familial, financial, educational, social, etc. - we each have a unique purpose and contribution to offer another person in way of service. We each can choose to be excellent in a moment of giving. So, be brave and be believing that you can change a life through service - especially your own.
If you're not sure where to start, consider these organizations for a variety of ideas close to home:
A FINAL LOVE NOTE
Your voice matters. Your actions matter. Your influence on just one person matters. A flourishing community is only possible when all of us understand the incredible power we hold to bless others and then act to create a place of belonging.
Remember - you are divine and loved. You are beautiful, worthy, and strong.
Lovingly,
