Comm-YOU-nity
These days more than ever, coaches, social media voices, and others are emphasizing the importance of self-care. Taking care of yourself physically, spiritually, and mentally is the priority and is essential for you to be your best, feel your best as well as show up for the world at your best.
However, self-care and community are not mutually exclusive. While treating yourself as an afterthought is not an option, completely functioning as a silo is not either. Each and every one of us has come to this world with a unique purpose, a purpose which we are responsible to fulfill, develop, and ultimately share.
To what extent should we share our purpose and ourselves with those around us?
An African philosophy referenced by Nobel Prize winners such as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, which has shaped my perspective of community, is Ubuntu. In English, it can be explained as “I am because we are” or as “our humanity towards others.” It refers to our interconnectedness with our social and physical environments.
We at The Coaching Group of Switzerland are currently reading Ikigai by H. Garcia and F. Miralles in preparation for our next “Book Talk.”
What is “Book Talk,” you ask? The five of us coaches get together to share insights, perspectives, and learnings from specific books, so that you can gain valuable knowledge of books worth reading. If this awakens your curiosity, be sure to watch this space. The next episode will be out this month, April 2024. Check the first one out here.
Coming back to Ikigai. Here the authors share insights into the “Moai Concept” originating from the blue zone region of Okinawa in Japan. The concept indicates that sharing joys, troubles, and purpose with a community of individuals who commit to supporting each other is not only essential for health and wellbeing but also contributes to longevity.
Ok cool, but what about the here and now?
These days, the word “community” can refer to a virtual or physical collective of individuals who share common interests or values. Now more than ever, it is important to be selective with whom to connect, and at what frequency, without depleting our social battery. While many of us like to believe that we are the Energizer Bunny that can “Keep going and going…” or scrolling and scrolling, the truth is that we simply are not.
So, what to do with our limited time and energy?
We each have our own social battery that differs from that of others. Our battery is charged by different activities and most certainly depleted by different activities. To add to this, even the depletion and charging varies from person to person.
Take time to reflect and assess your needs of and your role within your community. Are you surrounded by individuals who support you, encourage you to grow, and broaden your perspectives? What is your capacity to show up within a community? Which actions recharge your battery and which actions deplete it? Find a community which sees your purpose, creates an environment to share it, and better yet, enhances it. Community is not about constant giving. It is also about sharing and so very much to receive in return.
And perhaps, while social media is telling you to spend more time on self-care to recharge, perhaps an actual exchange with the right people may be exactly what you need.
So, coming back to the initial question.
To what extent should you invest your time and effort in those around you? The answer is, as with most things in life and coaching, to the extent that feels right for you. Throughout life your needs, values and capacity will change. What worked for you a while back may no longer work for you now.
Take the time to get to know yourself regularly. While you are looking for all the answers around you, they are most probably already within you. You just need to consciously listen.
Blog originally published by The Coaching Group of Switzerland.
Photo credit: Canva
