The Key To Making Your Dreams Come True: Community
Photo taken by Lizzie Tilles.
Lately I have been feeling quite proud of myself for making my dreams come true. While I am worthy of that pride - because I have worked hard to get clear, commit to myself, ask for help, have faith and grow along the way - it’s also massively important to note that my dreams would not have come to fruition in any way, shape or form without my community.
Our capitalist society loves to uplift the individual while forgetting the collective so I really want to dwell in the space of we for a bit.
When I think about my children’s book (that will be shipped out to folks in November!!), every aspect of the book’s creation involved other magical humans. The idea came from a wonderful client; the characters are a collage of my real life community members; it went through many rounds of edits with friends and a professional editor; I consulted with multiple coaches both for the content of the book and for the marketing of it; my illustrator, Louie Chin, brought it to life in a way that I never could; it received funding from so many incredible friends and family members; it expanded beyond my immediate community to other communities (and I know will continue to do so) thanks to so many kind humans; and it’s being printed by other wonderful humans via PufferPrint! Community at every turn.
Yes, I needed to keep advocating for it. Yes, I have been the book’s champion. Yes, I was an integral part of it’s creation. And yet, if it were just me in a vacuum it would not exist.
Last weekend I had another dream come true: A dream of going on a retreat with horses and nature. I went to Wildhorse Ranch for some solo-mom-nourishment time. It was phenomenal. And yet again, it wasn’t just me in a vacuum. It required an orchestra of characters and support to come to fruition. My husband took on the full time care of our daughter, I depended on others to transport me to Canada, the ranch was operated by our hosts as well as volunteers from all over the world, and the retreat would not have been complete without the other attendees and of course the horses!
Community is embedded in every step we take. Where our food comes from, what our homes are built out of, every single opportunity offered. Community is necessary for survival and for success. We need each other.
I’ll also be the first to say: Community can feel scary! Community means vulnerability, it means asking for help, it means leaning on others and allowing others to lean on you, it means trust, it means setting boundaries, it means saying no, it means saying yes, it means taking responsibility.
It takes work to build community and sustain it, but we need to practice because community is exactly what will save us when we need saving and support us when it’s time to thrive. The recent and current labor strikes are a beautiful example of this. We need each other to make change!
A simple and loving way to strengthen your community is to reach out with gratitude. I do this when I’m feeling happy AND when I’m feeling sad. Who has been there for you? Who has supported you? Who has listened to you and championed you? Call them, text them, message them, tell them in some way. Say, “Thank you.”
And maybe YOU are the one who has done all of those things. You can thank yourself, too. Even our own bodies are a celebration of community - organs, muscles, bones and more all working together to support your existence.
Thank you, body. Thank you, self. Thank you, sisters. Thank you, friends. Thank you, shop owner. Thank you, farmer. Thank you, animals. Thank you, mama nature. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And thank you, too.
Beyond gratitude, you can begin to ask: “How can I help?” The best way to show activists that inspire you your gratitude is to join the movement!
You have gifts worth sharing. Your dreams come true may very well be what your community has been waiting for. Those are the most delicious dreams are they not? The ones that honor our calling and our community. Your art can raise awareness; your poetry can send a needed message; your sewing project can literally change someone’s life! Your love of animals, of nature, of tiny humans - of whatever it is - can be offered in support of community.
And if you need some support for yourself as you follow your dreams and show up your community schedule a free chat with me here to find out if I can be of service.
With big love,
Kelsey