The Power of Community
Have you ever heard of the phrase it takes a village to raise a child? That phrase really has been ringing in my ears as I reflect on bringing the idea of BLOOM from idea to reality. Without the help of an entire community of people here in Edmonton this concept would never have the velocity or reach that it does today.
When you bring intention to an idea, specifically an intention that serves humanity, people come from out of no where and share their talents with your idea to help it BLOOM.
Here is the village that has made BLOOM possible: Event planner, event promoter, project manager, sponsorship lead, website developer, art director, yoga instructors, dj's, talent agents, multi disciplinary artists, photographers, public relations specialists, retail managers, shop owners, studio owners, social media managers and many more....
One of the first things I did was share the idea with a few close friends and a few mentors in my circle to gain some traction. While they were all very supportive of the idea, nothing was really moving until we stopped talking and started taking ACTION!!
We then took steps in real world to fully commit to the idea.I chose a date and started booking all of the amazingly talented people we wanted to bring to BLOOM.
From here, there was no turning back. If you have something you would like to bring to life, something you absolutely love don't go at it alone, bring a group together who can mastermind with you to bring it to life. It's powerful and rewarding for all involved.
Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead
Here are 6 powerful reasons not to go it alone, written by Jen Waak from Tiny Buddha
1. Collective wisdom. No one person ever has all of the answers, and regardless of the amount of Google-fu you may have, consulting with experts is always going to give you better information.
2. Pushing our limits. When working alone, it’s oftentimes too easy to give up when things get hard. By surrounding yourself with others working toward a similar goal or objective, you’ll get motivation, support, and friendly competition to push yourself just a bit further than you would have done on your own.
3. Support and belief. Some days those big goals just seem impossible. On those days when you most want to give up, you need to lean on your community the most. They believe in you—probably more than you belief in yourself.
4. New ideas. I truly believe that when you are working within a community of like-minded people that the wisdom of crowds is considerably greater than any one person working alone. Our divergent world views and lenses mean that we all approach the exact same problem slightly differently.
5. Borrowed motivation. Even on those days when your belief in yourself isn’t waning, doing what needs to get done can seem overwhelming. Look around your community and be inspired!
6. Accountability. If you’re an uber-responsible person, you may not want to admit to people you care about who are pulling for you that something didn’t get done. There’s nothing like having to be accountable to others to up your game.
Allowing others to help is hard, but it ultimately raises everyone’s game, and suddenly that summit isn’t nearly so far off.