One of the key factors feeding our ‘inner spirit’ is our sense of community. Being part of a community, in whatever form it takes, can have a significant impact on our lives, our sense of wellbeing, our achievements and on society as a whole – I witnessed this first hand last week.
As part of a nine month mentoring programme I have been working with a group of around 40 other like-minded entrepreneurs. We have been placed in ‘accountability groups’ and there are six of us in our team.
One of the members of our team very kindly bought the other five of us a portable phone chargers. He had 100 of these chargers which he was selling to raise money for a charity he is involved in. He explained the story behind the chargers – for each one bought, a solar powered light is sent to rural Africa so that children are able to study during the evening – an impossibility without electricity.
The following day we were at a workshop and a member of our team encouraged the kind charger donor to ‘pitch’ his chargers to the wider group. With slight reluctance he did, and he absolutely nailed it. It turns out that his charity have done amazing things to support children in Africa over the years including funding the building of a school. As well as each charger sending a solar light, a third of the cost of each charger sold will go towards building a second school.
As a result of his pitch to the group he sold over 60 of the chargers. Had he not had the encouragement from our little community he wouldn’t have got up and pitched his chargers. Each member of the group played a part in some small way whether it be encouraging him to go for it in the first place, providing feedback during his pitch prep, handing round an order form or assisting with the distribution of the chargers. Why? Because we all felt a sense of community spirit, a sense of belonging in our group – we were better together.
How could you make a difference in the communities you belong to and what might the impact be – both on the community itself and also on your own sense of wellbeing?