Find your own community!

Goodness knows, it can be hard work keeping going whether you own your business or you are working for others – things to do, people to see, places to go to…

Time is one commodity that we can never control and, on occasions, the work escalator can feel very steep and very fast.  The concept of work life balance can feel a faint memory of a time pre-children, pre-social media, pre-now.  We sleep less, we have less energy, we are less healthy and, despite copious information, we are less connected. In this context, we can be very vulnerable and unable to think clearly.  Small issues can feel huge and bigger knocks can feel all consuming.

In these times, it is so important to create a stable base to keep you connected, grounded and to help you rebuild your resilience.  This can be through friends and family, or perhaps a coach or mentor. However, you also need to keep broader links, just when you might feel like hunkering down.  

The power of a community

Whatever it’s purpose, a community of people can be a powerful shield to reflect the slings and arrows of everyday life.  Being with others, outside your immediate sphere, has a number of benefits that will allow you to retain positivity, think more broadly and allow you to explore new options, for example:

• Connection.  Being with others, helps you to consider wider viewpoints and ideas, possibly opening up wider solutions.
• A sense of perspective.  Especially when life seems tricky, it is useful to be reminded that although your circumstances may be tiresome, others have been in similar or worse situations and overcome them, becoming more resilient.
• Creativity.  You only know what you know and we are normally constrained by doing the same old, same old.  Wider perspectives build a creative and enquiring mindset.
• Support.  Advice from those beyond your immediate family is usually more objective and may have greater insight into the range of possibilities. 

At Devon Business & Education Centre, we hold regular events that are open to all. Just go to www.dbec.co.uk/networking to book.