“And my wolf pack, it grew by one. So were two… so there was two of us in the pack. I…I was alone first in the pack, and then Doug joined in later”~ The Hangover
No woman is an island and contrary to what popular music would have us believe Ms. Independent has a team behind her. In a world of 6 billion people it’s easy to feel alone and as if no one understands you. We go through life with the mentality that we came in alone and will leave alone, and while that is a valid theory, it’s also a pretty lonely one, unless you’re a misanthrope and if so rock on with your bad self. Whether you call it your tribe, your team or simply like-minded group of people, having a core group to turn to is an essential part of life.
The Importance of Like-Minded Souls
Imagine what life would be like if you never met a soul that you connected with. If you went through your days believing that you were all alone and no one understood your ideas, feelings or thoughts. Sounds tres miserable? Millions of people feel like this on a daily basis and while we could chalk it up to loneliness being the human condition, I beg to think that people who feel this way haven’t fully tapped into their resources.
Whether you are looking for people who share your love of fly fishing or needlepoint. Or possibly simply a good friend to motivate you to start your business or give you the honest to blog advice on your love life, there are tons of like-minded people out there. Seek and you shall find.
Finding your Wolf pack
This is not to say that the minute you decide you want to meet new, amazing, cool people they will fall out of the woodworks. Oh quite the contrary! If you are serious about discovering interesting people to cultivate new relationships with you have to be willing to do the legwork. Here are 4 tips/ways to find like-minded people.
- Discover your Interests- It is a lot easier to strike up conversations when there is a common interest shared. Give some thought to what you like to do, your hobbies and how to you can leverage them to meet new people. What new activity do you want to dive headfirst into? There’s your starting point.
- Find Local Events/Groups/Meet ups- This plays directly into the aforementioned tip. Once you have identified your interest, seek out local groups, classes or events. Meetup.com and Teach Street are great resources to find groups/classes on everything imaginable.
- Take to Twitter: Over the last few months I’ve meet a tremendous amount of amazing people and I didn’t even have to leave my couch. Twitter is a great networking tool and while I don’t think Twitter is the end all, be all of meeting people, it is a a great way to chat it up. Search out people you find interesting and follow them. Re tweet what they post and strike up conversations.
- Step Out on Faith- Sometimes this is the hardest thing to do and I’m certainly guilty of letting my nerves get the better of me. Being in a new environment with new people can be scary, but I can honestly say that it’s not as bad as it seems. You don’t have to be gregarious to meet new people. You just have to be genuine and yourself.
Nurturing your Tribe
Meeting people you instantly connect with is a thrill unlike many. I can count on my hand the people that I have a true and lasting connection with. These friends and family members are my tribe and without them I wouldn’t be half the person I am. But these relationships weren’t always where they are today and were built over years of camaraderie and shared experiences.
Finding a strong core is no easy feat and when you have one you should hold on them for dear life. There are so many ways to nurture and cultivate your tribe, but the most important one is to spend time. It may sound cheesy but there is no substitute for spending quality time with people you admire and whose company you enjoy.
My girl Jess from DesignWonderland is definitely in my wolf pack. We’ve been hanging tough since college and I couldn’t imagine my life without her. I do try to interact on Twitter and I have started to connect more and especially make new blogging friends. I try not to be an island but it’s so easy for me to just be a loner sometimes that I have to remind myslef to give folks a chance.
I definitely know what you mean about being a loner! It’s something I’ve had to break myself out of and realize that I do have people that have my back. Tell Jess I love her blog!!!
Thank you for this post. I am going through that now. The “tribe” I had during my college days has disintegrated completely–even when I tried to save it. Now that I am married and stepping into a new stage of my life, sometimes I do feel that there is no one else out there who thinks like me. Nevertheless, I have found a few dear friends, and thank God for new relationships. Thank you : )
Actually, a lot of them have come from what you outlined above. I love my budding “tribe.” Great women doing great things and possessing great hearts. It’s a beautiful thang.
I’ve definitely cultivated my wolf pack over the past two years. Our pack, “The Making It Happen Crew” consist of 5 inspiring, crafty go getter women business owners. They are definitely my muses.
I have had times in my life where I had a huge group of people around me and the last three years have found myself wanting to be alone for the most part. Mainly due to the occupation I had for so many years that made me sort of sick of people in general. I have to say though, for many many years I have had 2 best friends. A girl & a guy that have been there with me through marriage, divorce, kids etc… They are my true pack & I thank god for them all the time. Love this post.