How is your tribe?

One of the good things that came out of the pandemic was reuniting with my four best friends from high school via bimonthly Zoom calls. We all went to Xaverian HS in Brooklyn, NY (considered the cream of the educational crop of the five boroughs). It was true. John R. went to Yale, Dom went to Brown, John S. went to Dartmouth, Armando went to MIT. Me? I went to the University of Dayton (thought I was going to play soccer). Didn’t make the team, but I still scored because I met my bride to be at UD.

It is invigorating to hear what everyone is always doing. John R. just came back from a six-week European jaunt; Dom was on a sabbatical since March diligently thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail; John S. is headed to Barcelona to experience more fine dining (he is a foodie); Armando, when not dumping money into his vintage Jaguar, is always surprising us with some adventure somewhere; and I am currently starting an entrepreneurial venture as a keynote speaker.

These Zoom calls are also a place where we can talk out loud and ask for advice on any subject; business, pleasure, family, you name it. And because we are all from Brooklyn, we are never shy about expressing our true feelings trying to do what is best in the situation (we all have thick skin). When there are competing opinions, we all state our case. When we disagree, that is OK. Everyone gets heard and we all stay friends. I can say that because here we still are.

Do you have a group or tribe like this that you can count on for ideas, help, and fellowship? If you don’t, you need to get one, right away. I’m an only child and learned how to do a lot of things on my own. I’m a big DIY guy and will always try to do it myself. But over the years, I found this is not always the best approach. You are not going to get to where you want to be by going it alone. You need others. You can always use help, advice and inspiration. You need to surround yourself with a tribe that you can trust, be authentic, and you can always count on during tough times.

This is only one of my tribes. I have several others through masterminds and professional groups. I figure, the more groups I’m involved with, the better. Bouncing ideas off others, having meaningful discussions and making decisions based on good advice, makes for a better and well rounded you. 

Me and the lads had a trip scheduled to Nashville (never been to the Ryman), but COVID shut us down. Hopefully, we’ll find an opening in 2023, find a new site (we are scattered across the country), and invite the ladies to join us. Now that would be an awesome trip. Find your tribe! And if you can’t find one, start one. If you need help, call me. You’ll be glad you did.