Going it alone can be daunting, and disastrous. Building a strong support network (or networks) is crucial for accountability and achieving your personal, life, and professional goals. But how do you find the right people to support your journey, and how do you utilize those connections effectively? In this vlog, I explore the significance of community, the role of accountability partners, and practical steps to create a network that nurtures growth and success. Join me as we uncover how to leverage relationships for a fulfilling and impactful life.”
All right, let’s dive in. We are talking all about support networks. We’re going to talk about the why they’re important, what they are, and how to attain them. Look for one that works for you or more, and how to rock it out. So my intention for you is by the end of this chat that you will be inspired to find more support for yourself. So why a support network? We go further together. When I began the journey of becoming a coach, I was in high tech. I had been in corporate all my life. I was very successful there. And I had a story that I could not become a coach and run my own business or have my own business because nobody in my family was a business owner. They were all very successful in different corporate avenues. And so I stayed for much longer than I needed to. And how I went further and made the transition is I got into a group not only for information, but also for experience and to understand how it was done, not only how it was done, but to see how it was done. It was invaluable, and it’s why I’m here today.
So We also, as humans, why a support network? We have a basic need to be seen and heard. We have this mind that can magnify things. And when we try to do things in isolation, fears can become magnified, limits can become magnified. And it’s just so helpful to be in a place where you can see others going through what you’re going through. It helps us to be be right-sized about everything. People have more success when they’re in community. Studies show it. If you talk to the most successful people, they are all part of some support network or multiple support networks. And when you want to be more successful, I want to say this isn’t just about… We’re not just talking about being successful in your job, your career, your business, your vocation. This is not just about goal-oriented success. This is also about how you want to live your life. Do you want more time in your life? Do you want to travel more? It doesn’t have to be all the outward things. Do you want more health, whether it be physical, spiritual, mental? This is another This is how you want to live your life.
Also, the state with which you want to live your life. Are you burnt out right now? Do you feel like you have to work harder to make a bigger impact or to Would you like to get more or anything like that? Would you like to be more peaceful in your day? This is the state with which you live your life. This is also a measure of success. So Are you growing? Are you growing in your knowledge, in your experience, in your spirituality, in your health, whatever, in your clarity? This is another aspect of success. And relationships. Are you in a new relationship? Do you have a long term relationship that you would like to go deeper with? Or relationships with friends, or anything, relationship to anything. So as you think about these support networks, I want you to ask yourself the question, where do I need support? And be open-minded, okay? Where do I need support? Because it’s important for you to understand what you’re looking for before you go look for it, okay? So that is the why or some of the why. Now we’re going to talk about the what. So what is a support network?
defined in many ways, but they all have the same basic structure or bones. It is a group of people that have some common ground. So when I I began in coaching and building a business, it was all new territory for me. And so when I was in corporate, I had support groups, networks that were built in. If I was working on a specific project, I gathered a group of people who were working on the same thing or had done that before so that I could get their experience. I could understand what might be the pitfalls, all of this. In corporate, it was all there for me. I just had to pick it. So now I’m out in the wild. I am in a whole new area. And as I’m going through this, I am asking opinions of people who are not coaches, who are not going through this, who are not building businesses, namely some friends and my family. Kind of like, Oh, should I? Would I? What? And I was getting some very negative feedback. What it felt like was very negative feedback. Like, Why are you doing this? You have this great job, or do you really think that’s going to work?
So I talked to my coach and I said, I don’t know what to do with this. And she said, oh, my goodness, Kari, when you are building a business business and learning how to coach people, speak to the people who are also doing that. And if you’re looking at a program that you’re developing for coaching, speak to the people who it’s for. There’s got to be some common ground because otherwise everybody means well, but they’re not coming from the same sphere. So their feedback is probably most likely Not the most optimal feedback for what you’re looking for. So this support network has a common ground. One of my favorite books is Think and Grow Rich. This is Napoleon Hill. It’s a classic. It’s an older book. But in it, he defines… Some people call these support networks masterminds, right? So he defines the mastermind as this. The mastermind may be defined as coordination of knowledge and effort in a spirit of harmony between two or more people for the attainment of a definite purpose. So this is where he’s talking about common ground. So everyone in the support network is striving towards the same thing.
It may not look exactly the same, but they’re striving towards the same thing. It could be spiritual growth. It could be going to the next level in their business. It could be a whole new vocation. It could be a meditation practice. It could be a new level of health or strength or well-being. But there’s this spiritual A spirit of harmony and a common purpose, common ground. Again, basic human needs. Two heads are better than one. So When you’re in these groups, this is the place because everybody has this shared experience. There is an energy in these support networks. Tell them when it’s tough. It’s good to hear when things are tough because often I can speak for myself. It’s like, oh, my gosh, I look outside and everybody seems to be getting it. And I’m having a tough time. So to hear another person that looks like everything is going fabulously and famously to say, I’m having a really tough time with this. It just, again, we become right-sized. We remember We’re human. We’re on a journey. We’re not getting graded on this. You’re going to have good days. You’re going to have bad days, and be reminded.
We can also, in these support networks, we can borrow belief. Sometimes it’s so important to believe that it’s possible. And to be honest, not every day am I 100 %. So Sometimes I need to get in that group and borrow others’ belief. For a moment, you can do that. Connection. Again, we are humans. Maslow has this basic hierarchy of needs, right? The hierarchy of needs and the base need was like food and shelter. And a lot of people are saying the really base need is connection. We We do not thrive in isolation. So this is a great place to nurture that connection to others who are having similar experience. And it’s be inspired, right? This is also to see in these support networks, you have some people who are 10 steps ahead. Wonderful. Some people who are over here, you can be inspired by those You can be inspired by those who are just beginning. You can be inspired by those who have gone before you. You can be inspired with somebody who’s at the exact same place you are. It’s such a rich environment for that. And access to experience is a hundred times more powerful than access to information.
I can read a book, and I can learn something. But when I hear people who have utilized this book and the experience they’ve had, and how it’s worked for them, it’s just so much more powerful. So now you got the why, you got the what. How about the how? How do I find these support networks? How do How do I be in these support networks? And how do I really rock it out? So these support networks have different purpose. You find accountability in a support network, you find inspiration in a support network, you find encouragement in a support network, and you find experience in a support network, to name a few. So again, so important, know your Why are you seeking out a support network? I’m seeking out a support network because I want to write a book. I’ve never written a book before. It could be like that. I’m seeking a support network because I am burnt out, and I want to understand how other people are balancing their work and their life and moving up in their career and actually having enjoyment along the way. Know your purpose. When you join a support network, be in it.
Support networks, healthy support networks, have participants. The members participate. They give and they take, both. So be all in. I promise you, it is the best way to experience a support network. Show Show up. Show up, especially if you don’t want to. Again, we have down days or we’re going through something. Show up. Be honest. Oh, my gosh, this didn’t work. I don’t know what to do here. That is what this group, this beautiful community is for, be seen and heard. So there is a tribe that when a baby is born, they all gather in a circle, and this baby gets passed to every member of the tribe. This new life that’s coming into this tribe. And the baby is held by that person, and they wait. They wait until the baby makes some noise, some expression, and then they make the same expression back to this child. And however long it takes, they do this. They acknowledge this being, which is so filling to our souls. So can you tell that I love support networks? So be in it. Show up, speak out, listen, be honest. When I say speak up, there’s two sides of that.
Ask questions, get help. That is a speak up and encourage others. Give and take, okay? Be honest. When you find a healthy support network with a purpose, with a common ground. Often, these people have had the same experience, the good, the bad, the ugly, the great, the fascinating, all of it. So be honest. Connect. Sometimes when we move into a support network where we’re the new kid on the block, right? Again, this is human nature. Sometimes we can start to compare care. Oh, she’s way too far ahead, or I’m not this, or whatever. If you find yourself doing that, please do the practice of just like me. Just like me, they’re afraid of X, Y, and Z. Just like me. This person is going slow on this. Just like me. They’re nervous because they just got here. Be part of from the get-go. And I want to talk about accountability for a little bit because this is such an important piece of it. Find somebody. You can have the group hold you accountable, but my encouragement is to find somebody in that group to work together on accountability. So there are studies that show if I have a goal, say I want to write a book in the next year, right?
I want to write a book in the next year. So I say that to myself, I have a 10 % chance of doing it. If I decide, meaning instead of I want to write a book in the next year, I am writing a book in the next year. Can you hear the difference? If I decide I’m doing it to myself, I have a 25 % chance of doing it. If I then set a specific target I will write a book by November of 2025, November fifth of 2025. I now have a 40 % chance of success. But it’s still an internal dialog. I’m telling this to myself. So now if I say, I will write a book by November fifth, 2025, and I will do that by writing three pages a day, five days a week. I have a plan and actions. I now have a 50/50 chance of making that happen. Again, still, internal dialog may have it on a piece of paper, may have it in my calendar, but internal dialog. When I share it with With a group or somebody, I am going to write a book by November fifth, 2025, by writing three pages a day, five days a week.
My success rate now goes up to 65 %. I have shared it. There’s accountability there. It may be indirect. It may feel just like peer pressure, but there’s accountability. Now, if I pick somebody out and I say, Look, I would like you to hold me accountable. I am going to write a book by the fifth of November, 2025, by writing three pages a day, five days a week. And I want to meet with you every Monday and every Friday and talk about where I’m at with that. Will you do that? Your success rate is is now 95 %. So get yourself in a support network. Ask yourself of what do I need? Why do I need support? What am I looking to improve, learn about, embark on, work out, whatever it is, and find a support group and ask to be held accountable. It is amazing. When you get in a support group, another thing I would recommend I suggest, invite is stay for a little bit. Stay for a bit before you decide if it works for you. Not all support groups are healthy. I’ve really given you some… I encourage you to listen to this again if you’re getting ready to find one or rock out the one you’re in.
There are some things to look for, but sometimes it’s hard to feel part of right away. So stay a bit, be open-minded, participate before you decide to say, This isn’t for me. You can do local support groups You can do or support networks. You could do virtual support networks. Sometimes they’re in-person, sometimes they’re not. It really the level of success is not dependent upon one or the other. If you are really excited about this and you need help in finding out where they might be or what they might look like, I have multiple support networks, and I would be happy to find a fit for you. So reach out. And until next time.
