Hey Team,
No matter what kind of practice you are working on at the moment, you don’t have to do it alone.
And, yes, this is just as true if you are working towards a solo adventure far away from home as it is if you are taking a solo adventure into the deepest parts of your feelings as it is if you are joining a hockey team.
You can always seek, request, and build the kind of support you need to help you move forward in your practices, your habits, and toward your goals.
Just be choosy about who you ask for support.
For example, you don’t have to seek support from the person who is always negative but claims they are just being realistic. Being realistic would include a balance of positivity and negativity and if they can’t wrap their minds around that then they aren’t going to be much use to you.* The last thing you need to ask someone for support and then end up feeling worse!
I would, however, recommend ensuring that at least some of your support comes from someone who is firmly in your corner, someone who wholeheartedly believes in you. That doesn’t mean that they think you are perfect or that they would never offer suggestions to change your approach, it just means that they want what is best for you and they will support you in getting there.
You can also find support from in-person or online friends or acquaintances who have had similar experiences. You can seek out new people who have done what you are trying to do. And/or you can find seek out people who are at the same stage in the process and you can cheer each other on.
You can ask friends who are doing different projects to be accountability partners or to do some body-doubling for you. You can support each other even if you are working on different things.
You can also ask people who have had success in other areas about how they approach their work or how they would approach the practice you are trying to develop. Even if they haven’t done anything similar, their processes from other projects might give you a new idea for your own process. (To clarify: Here’s an example of this kind of thing from a CBC article I wrote in 2020.)
And you can also seek out non-interactive support – collecting memes, posts, and photos that you find encouraging and referring to them when you need a boost. This might look like keeping them in a specific folder on your phone, in your saved items on social media, or in your browser’s bookmarks, or, if you are so inclined, you could consider making a journal that includes quotes, images, and anything else that makes you feel good about your habit-building process.
Another form of non-interactive support could be creators you follow on YouTube and on social media or whose websites/newsletters you read. If reading their work, watching their videos, or doing their practices adds to your energy, then you can consider them as part of your support team.
Really, the important thing is that you support yourself by developing the support network and resources that you need to move towards the life you want to have.
You get to decide what kinds of support you need and the best ways to find them.
Oh, and please know that I am firmly in support of your efforts and that I wholeheartedly believe in you.
As always, here is your gold star to celebrate your efforts today.
See how all of those shapes are supporting each other to create the star? Funny how that works, hey? It’s like I was putting a message in the drawing AND in the text. I am so subtle!
So, Team, no matter what your practice looks like today and no matter how much or how little support you need at the moment, please know that your efforts matter and that you matter.
Be kind to yourself out there.
Go Team Us!
