Life is a team effort! Who do you count on to make your life work? Which people enrich your life? Take a moment over the weekend to consider those who make up your “best life” team. Start your list with the people you pay to be on your team: your general practitioner, your pediatrician, your hair stylist, perhaps a gardener or housekeeper. Perhaps you have a therapist, or a personal trainer, or a babysitter/nanny, too. Write all these people down on your list. Now open the list to the people who support you emotionally. Who do you call upon when you want to be playful and have fun? Who do you call upon when you are frustrated about something or your heart hurts? Who nurtures you and talks you down from the ceiling? Who helps you solve life’s big questions? Who do you speak to when your children cause you to question everything you thought you knew about parenting? With whom do you celebrate life’s big wins? With whom can you share life’s big joys?
This is a valuable exercise for a few reasons:
- When you realize the important role certain people play in your life, it elevates their status; you will naturally treat them better and nurture the relationships you have with them. Some of my most valuable relationships are long distance. When I did this exercise and was reminded how important these friends are in helping me lead a positive, fulfilling life, it was a call to action to keep in touch on a regular basis and make sure they know just how highly regarded they are.
- When you look at the people who play a supporting role in your life, you realize where you may have positions that need to be filled. You can now set an intention to find a person that fulfills that role. Perhaps you are starting to be more spiritual and your current support team isn’t really there yet. Set your intentions on attracting into your life a mentor or a friend who is on the same journey. Sometimes you realize you have a need that isn’t being met but the answer is not to look outside your support network for someone new, it is to call upon the people in your inner circle. Perhaps the real issue is that you haven’t yet opened up and admitted what is really going on with you, so that you can receive the help or guidance that you need. Remember, your teammates aren’t mind readers!
- When you ask yourself who is on your support team, sometimes you realize certain people you held in high esteem actually don’t promote your highest good or best life. Perhaps a certain person in your close circle doesn’t actually treat you very well. Perhaps you have a friend who loves to complain with you about life’s woes but is less than supportive when you are happy. You deserve to have people in your corner who celebrate your joy. You owe them the same respect. You also deserve people on your team who want the best for you and will stop at nothing to help you live your best life.
Just as we should expect the most from ourselves in how we treat others and the energy we bring to others, we should expect the most from our best life team. Your life should be enhanced by your teammates!
Remember Dara Torres, the 41-year-old swimmer who crushed the 2008 Olympic games? The people on her best life team include a swim coach, a sprint coach, a strength and conditioning coach (who also oversees her diet), two full-time personal stretchers, a physical therapist, a masseuse and a nanny. This is a host of people, all looking out for Dara and her best interests, and the list doesn’t even include her partner, friends and family who also contribute to her emotional well-being. Incredible, isn’t it?
Today, consider your best life team. Consider those who help make you a winner. And over the weekend, take a moment to thank one or two of your teammates for being there and making your life richer.
This is such an inspirational post. Everyone is everyone else’s cheering squad. As a person evolves, it becomes apparent that love presents in many different forms. Even those people who seem to be your enemies are reminding you the power of love hidden deep within your soul. Everything you think, feel and do is a wake up call to love.
Hi Jodi,
This idea that the people in our “village” aren’t mind readers – what a great message for me to hear. I’m sure that I can do so much better at verbalizing where I’m at, and help I need. And you’re reminding me of that today – of what matters. And how truly important all the people in our lives really are. Thanks so much for this!
Hi Liara, what a beautifully written comment! I would like to read an entire post on that! You are so right, as we evolve, love does present itself in many different forms…sometimes I have to laugh at some of the negative situations or people that serve as learning experiences. Thinking of those situations in terms of being reminded of the power of love hidden deep within our souls is so powerful and positive–I love that kind of thinking! Thank you for stopping by today. I can’t wait to check out your site–I’m so glad we’re connecting from around the globe!
Hello Lance, I’m glad the bit about mind readers reached out and grabbed you. Isn’t it funny sometimes how we can get bent out of shape with our closest supporters over thigns they have no idea we need or want so deeply from them? I feel ridiculous when I discover I have done that again, but then I am so relieved when I realize all I have to do to remedy the situation is take a breath and express myself. Ahhh, life! Thank you for stopping by today!
I have been thinking about this post for a couple days, and when I re-read it again today, a few things stood out. One was your comment about intentionally filling roles – drawing new people in where needed or desired. I was able to do this for the first time three years ago, and my gosh, I was amazed at who I attracted! Very loving, open people who taught me in their different ways exactly what I needed to start learning.
The other thing I realized is that our team changes. It evolves naturally as we evolve. Some people I used to hold in high regard no longer fill the positions they used to in my life. And it’s okay to let certain people go.
Surely I’m a better person because of the love of my team, and I’m honored when I’m chosen to be on someone else’s, as well.
Happy Wednesday!
What a wonderful exercise! Thank you for this post! So often we forget (certainly not intentionally) to thank the people who enrich our lives and help us along our way to be the very best we can be. I’m happy to have this opportunity – thanks to your post – to really count my blessing and know, beyond a doubt, I have “people”!
Hi Jodi,
Once upon a time I was active duty military, and then an active duty spouse – I moved every 2.5 years. One thing I learned how to do was build a support network.
Key players in my life include my coach and mastermind group leader, my husband, my parents, one of my sisters.
Supporting cast members include the rest of my family, my closest friends (my posse), a sisterhood of stepmom friends…
One of my passions is to collaborate with creative and energetic women – when I put that out to the Universe, I connected with a handful of phenomenal women who have given me direction in nothing more than a conversation.
Megan, hello again! You know, I wrote about thinking of the positions that need to be filled and then having an intention to attract those people knowing it is something that I need to do at this moment. It is so nice to hear from you that you already did it and the results were positive! As for the letting go part, I definitely agree that our support team evolves over time and it is okay to let certain people go, though it’s not always easy (sigh)! Thanks for your comment!
Suzen, Thank you for stopping by! It’s nice to have you here! I love your statement that you have “people”! That’s a great way to think about it!
Peggy, thank you for serving our country! I have always admired my military friends and spouses who are so adept at integrating themselves into a new community and forming lasting friendships in each new location. What a great skill! I am so happy to know you have such a wonderful support network. I really like your passion for collaborating with creative and energetic women. What a beautiful intention to be sending out into the universe!
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