Apart from the answer to this post subject being an entirely obvious one, it appears that looking out for numero uno is increasingly the way of the land.
We live in a fast paced, competitive world, where if you wait and ponder for too long, you risk being trampled by a pod of Hippos on a determined path to get ahead. People will tread on you; most playfully, some ferociously and all the while you’re expected to keep your values in tact.
Good guys don’t need to finish last and bad guys, well, their reputation proceeds them and eventually exterminates them.
Regardless of the world migrating online, hiding behind their laptops and mobile phones; core values still exist. Those that wish to communicate effectively within their community and industry cannot run the risk of severing themselves from mankind.
In 2011 I went on a mission to connect with genuine people. Integrity and kindness being the most important features I looked for in the people I met.
Good people aren’t hard to find if you make an effort to read those in front of you. I often feel like we see what we want to see and we fail to choose wisely in who we spend our time with.
“You are who you hang with”. Your closest friends will shape who you are, influence your beliefs and either lift you up or drag you down. Life is too short to be surrounded by what my father likes to call ‘dead weight’ – people that celebrate your losses and encourage you to seek out mediocrity over passion.
Believe in the power of community, respect those that operate within it and invest in your peers. Respect should be a given, regardless of whether or not you share a friendship. Personalities may clash and it is imperative to recognise that although it would be great to connect with and have a mutual sense of comradery with everyone in your industry, not so surprisingly, that won’t always happen. A mutual respect of each others accomplishments and efforts however, is something we can all control.
In the long term, the goal isn’t to be liked by all, the goal is to find your crew and board that ship. Respect the journey and the people at all stages of it – those that are just recruting their crew, those that have boarded -well on their way and those that have arrived.
I’ve had a huge amount of people give up their time, invest their talent/money/energy into my projects. These people aren’t being generous just because they’re good people but because as individuals they’re passionate about creating. They’re also intelligent human beings in search of the perfect ‘community’. By seeking out those you respect and by working with them – you grow. By giving to those that need your help – you grow. By challenging yourself and believing in your future – you grow. All in all, none of the above can be achieved alone.
I understand that referring to the people you engage with as your ‘community’ sounds borderline ‘motivational speaker-esque’ but that’s what they are. They’re your people!
You have a small core group and then a larger circle of people that are linked to you and your team. For some, you will fall into the outer circle of people and for others you will fall into their core group. Either way you’re part of something bigger and you can choose to be a positive addition or not. However, being a positive addition is by far the most rewarding and contributes to the greater good of ‘all’.
‘One’ fits into ‘none’ a little too perfectly. It’s Christmas and if you have learnt anything from today – giving is the greatest gift.
kristybestonline.wordpress.com 
