A Rare Moment of Seriousness

I often like to have fun when authoring these little articles. I try extremely hard to never take the world too seriously and let it do its own spinning. I find humor in the people out there who think they can stop the world from spinning just by digging their heals into the very earth they are trying to stop. But today? Today is a critical thinking day, my friends. Today is a serious conversation.

I would ask you to think about the ten most important people in your life. I chose the number 10, because most of us do not have that many direct family members living with us. I also chose that number because it is feasible to think of ten people. Those people live in our lives. We live with them, some in a literal sense and the rest in a figurative sense. Who are they? Can you name them? Go ahead. Name them aloud. These people must be extremely important to you if you thought of them first. They must live in your heart to at least some degree. With those people in mind, let me ask you this question. Please remember dear friends, no one will hear your answer so please be honest with yourself. Do these people truly live in you? Do they live in your thoughts, your hopes, your gratitude, your dreams? Do they live in you? Or do they live near you? Let me ask this question again.

Do the ten closest people in your life really live in you, or do they live near you? I hope you all get the analogy. By living in someone, they are front of mind when sharing successes, lamenting failures, standing up for injustices, and truly being present in each other’s lives. Living near someone simply means those things when it is convenient. We may not voice concern if we see an injustice because, well, that person did not voice it, so why should I? Why? They are one of your ten! If not them, then who?

My friends, our world is becoming more siloed by the day. The powers that be out there want to divide us, so we are easier to conquer. There is an enormous and growing ever more enormous income disparity between the haves and the have nots. There are good neighborhoods and bad ones. Silos are going up everywhere. So may call this inevitable. Me? I am calling the Big Bad Wolf. Together, we are going to blow those silos down one at a time. If we will not take a stand and allow those ten to truly live inside of us and be a part of our very fabric, what is living all about? We must choose our tribes carefully. If you have, prove it. If you have not, start.

Tribe of up, we may not be able to knock everyone’s silos down right away. After all, it took great effort to build them. Maybe we need to start by simply installing the proverbial window in our silo. At least that way, we can see and hear our neighbors. Then we can install another window on the other side. Do you see where I am going? If not the ten, then who? If not now, then when? I challenge you to say their names aloud again. Go ahead. No one will laugh at you. Don’t they deserve your absolute best? Let them know. Reach out to them and let them know they are the first members of your silo-less tribe. If you succeed, you succeed as a tribe. If you stumble, the tribe is there to pick you up. And when they stumble, you are there for them. Are they in you or just near you? These are serious times my friends and if the world wants me to be serious, this is what I choose to be serious about. I want to build a tribe that laughs, loves, and lives every day in each other’s hearts, thoughts, and very souls. Then, when you find a tribe like yours, imagine the fun when your tribe can have with that one. It is my humble opinion that this…This is how we can save the world. One tribe at a time. Truly, madly, and deeply letting our closest people all the way in, forming tribes of up and smashing silos. In the spirit of the election season, my name is Steve, and I approved this message.

In honor of the ten you have chosen; I offer no funny tag lines at the end of this article about my business. Say their names again and reach out to them. Your tribe needs you. If you need help getting started, reach out to me at steve@betterplacemgmt.com.