Community

“Ha o potlakile, tsamaya o le mong. Ha o ya hole, tsamayang mmoho.”

As I write this Siya Kolisi has captained the Springboks to a world championship, our 3rd win since 1995, while Lewis Hamilton has been crowned World Champion for the 6th time!

It is not immediately evident to most how Formula 1 is a team sport, at first glance, it appears to solely be about the driver in the single-seater, but by looking at the image below you begin to catch a glimpse of what it takes to become Constructor Champions.

I grew up believing that in order to reach my personal goals I needed to be as self-reliant as possible. Never needing or asking for help, self-made. This fallacy began to crumble when I joined the workforce and quickly realised solutions were both more robust and quicker to uncover within a team. This belief in the power of community has only been made stronger by unexpected experiences through the past few years; completing a project that was estimated to take a year within 3 months due to strong team cohesion, being able to move through depressive episodes quickly and healthily through support from family or helping someone across the country I’d never met before double her revenue within 2 months with the help of a friend. The power of community cannot be understated, it is what has powered humanity since our dawn.

Here are some tips on how I cultivate a strong sense of community in my life.

1. Schedule time.

As demand on our time grows it can become increasingly difficult to make time to connect with friends and family, leaving us feeling isolated and leading to breakdowns in relationships. Scheduling recurring food dates and catchups with family and friends is simple for keeping time to connect a priority. In my group of friends, we have a standing Friday dinner similar to the Jewish practice of Shabbat.

2. Phone home!

We can all do with speaking to family more regularly, if the distance is an issue, one of the greatest perks of our technology age is being able to connect via video chat and phone calls. I have a twice-weekly event in my calendar that reminds me to call my mother and brother, these calls are usually under 10 minutes each but they leave me feeling refreshed and content.

3. Be vulnerable.

When it comes to relationships, like many things in life, quality matters more than quantity. Having a few friends you can have meaningful conversations with is more important than being in a room full of strangers. A tried and tested way to build deeply rooted relationships is allowing yourself to vulnerable, as this allows others to do the same with you, resulting in relationships built upon trust and mutual respect. Be open to the point of discomfort because real friends share a laugh even during trying times.

Life is the longest thing we do, try and spend that time with people that matter to you. To everyone who chooses to share their time with me, I appreciate and love you.