COMMUNITY is something I deeply believe in and is interwoven into my mission.
I believe that sisterhood among women is one of the first steps we can take toward pursuing our soulful mission in the world, and is vital to our continued success and feeling free, fulfilled, and in flow as 21st century women.
Below are 7 ways in which COMMUNITY (aka Sisterhood in my world) can help us thrive in business and leadership as women today:
1. ACCOUNTABILITY
The most common problem I see from clients and women in general who are working toward actualizing a dream, a mission, or anything else they might be creating is that they know what they SHOULD do, but they're just not doing it. It is proven, time and time again, that consistency is what leads to success.
In other words, SHOWING UP to life and being open to receive the opportunities you're presented with to carry out your mission is the #1 obstacle to overcome. So many of us "know" what we should be doing, or have a million and one ideas of what to do, but the difference between a dream and reality is taking ACTION and behind held accountable for following through on that action.
Accountability begets results. And when you have committed to showing up to a group of other inspired women every week who are holding you in integrity with your word, ready to celebrate your success beside you and cheer you on, you tend to avoid letting those women down!
2. A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS
We become most like the 5 people we spend the most time with, so if the people you're currently surrounded by in your life are not entrepreneurs with big dreams who get your vision, that's going to distract you from your mission and business growth.
How, you ask? Because you'll be faced with a constant battle trying to defend yourself instead of using that precious time and energy to build your business, build connections, take action, and fail forward. The people who love us most are also those who want us to be SAFE. Because they love us so much, they want to help us minimize risk, and maximize certainty.
But what we know to be true is that this mindset is NOT entrepreneurial by any means, and is certainly NOT the type of mindset that will set you free to achieve your dreams. The greater the risk, the greater the reward, and the more comfortable we can become in the presence of uncertainty (i.e. the more we can TRUST ourselves, life, and a favorable outcome), the more successful we will be.
3. BEING SEEN AS THE GODDESS YOU ARE
When was the last time you truly felt 100% SEEN, HEARD, APPRECIATED, + POWERFUL? When we enter into sacred community with other women, we are able to be seen in our wholeness, power, + greatness, and that is reflected back to us to reaffirm how we see ourselves.
When we learn to see ourselves as limitless beings with an infinite capability to create anything we can envision, absolutely anything is possible. Like... literally... ANYTHING, no matter how crazy it may seem to you. If you can see it, you can create it. And when you have a team of women around you who can ALSO see the vision, and uphold it with you and for you when you need to be reminded in the moments of doubt, you are unstoppable.
4. TEAMMATES + CHEERLEADERS
Having a team to support you so you don't give in to fear (...or fall apart/give up when shit hits the fan) is critical when you are creating something revolutionary or visionary. We all need teammates and cheerleaders -- people who we know have got our back, and people who can cheer us on in all kinds of conditions. When we continue to "push through," and "do it alone," we lose momentum and can't go as far as we could together. At times, just knowing that you have support available to you, even if you don't reach out to them, is comforting and allows us to stay on course toward fulfilling our mission and sacred duty.
5. INSTINCTUAL FULFILLMENT
Sisterhood is our instinct as women. We used to live in tribes, with other women along side us to share the everyday burdens of life. In our isolated society today, we feel disconnected, which allows us to live in our own heads most of the time, not realizing when our thoughts or beliefs are completely out of alignment and ludicrous, and we fail to give ourselves permission to dream, act, and think bigger. In other words, we get stuck. Community allows us to stretch, dream bigger, play harder, live more, and do better, instead of doing "more."
4. BALANCE OUR GIVING WITH RECEPTIVITY
As leaders, we should always be giving from the overflow so we don't become depleted, burnt out, and resentful of our work in the world. Being a "giver" is great, but we don't want YOU to feel depleted at the end of the day and burn out, unable to pursue and spread the mission you were sent here to this earth to bring to people, do we?! No way. So it's necessary, then, to learn to honor yourself first, set boundaries, and receive support instead of just dishing it out all the time. No one benefits when you give from an empty cup, including you. So let's stop pushing so hard, lean back, and allow ourselves to receive.
6. SAFE SACRED SPACE
Being a leader and being in community are NOT about being perfect. It's a safe, sacred, and intentionally held space where we are able to show up in our messiness, rawness, and realness, AND still be fully heard, witnessed, and unconditionally loved and supported by other women who understand the struggles we're facing, and can lift us out of our fear and back into connection with our truth, our divinity, our power, and the reality that each of us is a powerful creator and there are no victims. You are totally capable of dealing with whatever life presents you with, because it is all FOR you.
Sisterhood and communities of women remind us of this universal truth, so that we can avoid feeling "stuck," "blocked," or overwhelmed by the everyday minutia and opportunities for growth that are inevitable put in our path as we carry out our soulful mission. We get to be our full selves, no judgment, and learn how to be fully and authentically expressed in all other aspects of who we are, in our lives and businesses.
7. STRONGER (AND SMARTER) TOGETHER
In sisterhood and community with other women, we are able to pool our resources so everyone always has more than enough and never gets "stuck" in a rut, unable to move forward.
Imagine having a customized think-tank specifically for YOUR dreams, including your business, how much money you're calling in, and the version of yourself you want to become. All of it is totally possible when we stop falling into our outdated mindset that we can (and should) do it all alone. We don't have to choose to struggle any longer, and can instead give ourselves grace and the abundant resources we need to create success that feels sexy and soulful in our lives.
As women entrepreneurs in the 21st century, at a time of so much chaos, confusion, discord, and shadow, we are being called to shine our light more brightly, band together, and leverage our true inner power to create change for a better tomorrow, not just for ourselves, but for the entire world.
To learn more about embracing a new paradigm of feminine leadership in your life, business, or career, visit my website at EmilyCassel.com.
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