Your community is waiting for you.
According to ChatGPT, a community is: “a group of people who share common interests, characteristics, or goals and who interact with each other, either in person or virtually. It can be a physical location, such as a neighborhood or town, or it can exist online, connecting people across geographical boundaries.”
ChatGPT definition of community
I observed a triggering Instagram post with the following quote: “Your community is waiting for you!” I felt ATTACKED! Why? Because I have the desire to create a community stemmed around my experience as a millennial that is:
A creative side hustler & hobbyist
Exploring & traveling the world
Working in corporate
In Antigua, Guatemala on a self guided photo tour.
After seeing the Instagram post, I’ve been active with building my community. So far, I have done so by:
Not being “shy” & vocal about my interests. Why because you never know who has similar interest as you & provide you with resources/connections to build your community.
I visited a friend and she asked, what have I been up to lately and I mentioned something along the lines “not much...same old same old”. But in reality, a few weeks prior I became the Grow Operations Lead for a community garden in the historical neighborhood of Acres Home in Houston. Further along in our conversation that came up and she was happy about the new opportunity and was able to connect me with awesome individuals working in the community garden and farming space. Thanks Ellie!
Going to networking events & saying yes to happy hours every now and then.
The first time I heard the word 'networking' was during my freshman year at FAMU. For years, I thought networking was basically “faking” to get what you want, but it is far from that. When I moved to Houston by myself, not knowing anyone, I attended various meet up activities & connected with different people. When I look back, I was networking without being aware that I am. The people I call my friends in Houston, I met through different events.
Asking family and friends for help when you need it.
Always never liked asking for help, but I’ve learned you must ask for help if you need it. I learned this from Pickney Pocket. In the past, I’ve need product photos for the website as I designed it, and I was nervous to ask my friends…why? Cause I felt like I was bothering them, but they were excited to participate. Never know until you ask!
Believing I am too “small”
At times, I’ve thought I’m too “small” to serve my community. My college classmate Abdul-Razak Briman stated “It is critical for us to understand that we are uniquely positioned to successfully impact our own communities. Every person has slowly but surely built a community of like minded individuals with aligned interests who can be called upon in times of need or want.
Be the hero your community needs. Use your unique positioning to spread good and combat harm, wherever you find it. No one can do it quite like you can.”
Abdul-Razak Brimah Linkedin post on community
I am always excited about the future and the fruits it may bring. As I revive my blog and build a community around my passions, I’m reminded my community is waiting for me, just as yours is for you. Currently, I am building my community around the multitude of things in my life.
How are you building your community?
“It is critical for us to understand that we are uniquely positioned to successfully impact our own communities.”