Mindy’s Monday Motivation – Blog Post #27 – Find your tribe

My eldest son has been working on a research paper on the rise of solitary confinement for the last few weeks, and we have been discussing the subject on and off. Last Friday we were talking about isolation experiments and how they drove people crazy. This made me think about the current predicament we are in with the pandemic and reminded me of the famous quote by Aristole: Man is by nature a social animal. So, this week, my recommendation is?we all find our tribe. Find a group that shares your ideals, interests, and hobbies—or whatever you call them. If nothing else, do it for your sanity’s sake.

I kid around, but it is true that a healthy social life can benefit you mentally, and even physically as well. You can check out this post from Mercy Care , which describes the benefits. I, myself, have recently found my tribe in several groups of hiking individuals, and it has made a world of difference in my outlook on life.

As you know, I enjoy hiking. I wouldn’t say that I am an experienced hiker, but I am not a novice, either. I enjoy hiking and often do it when I have the opportunity. As I never know when I’ll have time to go for a hike, this had resulted in a lot of solo hikes. I also enjoyed soloing since things would come up often and I hate to make any commitment and then disappoint people. However, with the increasing news of hikers being attacked in our region, my husband has suggested that I should find myself some hiking buddies. In the beginning, I was resistant to the idea for previously mentioned reasons. Plus, most hikers seem to want to hit the trails early. For this night owl, morning hikes were not in the cards. I also enjoy sunsets, so like to hit the trail close to dusk—if possible. I gave myself a lot of excuses, but in the end, I did understand his reasonings. There was also one other good reason: I tend to get lazy sometimes, so it would be good for someone to motivate me to get out there on the trail.

It began with a search on Facebook to find local hiking groups. I found six and started to sign up for hikes. In the beginning, I didn’t even know how a Facebook group worked. It took some guidance from other members to figure out where to sign up for the hikes (the Events tab). What was amazing that on my first hike I met someone I already knew – Shelly. We hit it off and have been on two hikes together now. I am already looking forward to our next one. I also met Sheila, who was so kind to remind me to sign up for Facebook Events, so I don’t miss out. Another group, the Hike Junkies, goes on interstate and international trips. The group’s founder, Lydia, spends a lot of time organizing these events. We have plans to hit Colorado, and to hike Mount Rainer in Washington?state, not to mention the Grand Canyon! On a whim, I posted that I was going to hike a nearby peak during sunset one day and asked if anyone wanted to join me. Surprisingly, some did and that’s how I met Tara. We have hit both sunset and sunrise hikes. Unfortunately, I was sick this past week and still am not feeling well, but I am so happy to find folks who are just as motivated as I am to hike.

I want you to experience that same euphoria, so look for your tribe. Find the people who will make you excited about the day, the week, the month or even the year. We can do it safely even if no face-to-face meet ups are possible. And I never hesitate to ask if someone is vaccinated or not before hiking with them.

If you are not a Facebook person, there are other mediums whereby you can find social groups. I have used Meet-up and Yahoo Groups before. The Nextdoor App also has groups where you can get together with folks that live near you. Beside local groups, you can also consider your own colleagues. If you haven’t checked out our company’s Yammer lately, you should. We have so many amazing colleagues who do amazing things outside of work. There’s Steve McMillian, who has been posting amazing photos of planets, the moon, and other celestial bodies. There’s Mohammed Mansouri, who posts inspirational messages at least once a day. There are also special groups on Yammer which focus on arts, travels, etc.

Hope you all find your tribe!

Happy Monday, and until next week!

Mindy