Who do I belong to?

????

Many of us have grown up in a priviledged environment where our parents and the broader family were supporting us. We belong to them. We mattered to them. Our needs mattered. We belonged in that family - we still do.

We cherish the memories of that happy childhood throughout our entire lives.

Many us, however, were not that lucky.

• What if your parents were not perfect?
• What if your mother had a limited maternal instinct, suffered from depression, or was just not capable to truly see you?
• What if you grew up in a foster home with very little attention and care given to your needs?
• What if you grew up experiencing rejection, isolation and loneliness?
• What if you have uprooted yourself, by moving to another city or country, to pursue a better future for yourself and your beloved ones?
• What if you have moved across the continent, regardless of the reason behind it?

Then what, you will never find the belongingness???

No. This is not a curse!

The time has come to detach the belongingness from a mother’s womb.

The time has come to take the ownership and build your own sense of belonging.

The time has come to define your own sense of belongingness – and choose to which values you want to belong.

We do not exist in a vacuum - we define ourselves in a context.

We become who we are surrounded by.

Belong to yourself.

Choose the identity you want to belong in. Choose who you want to become.

Make the leap to another role. Aspire to another tribe. Jump off to another journey of life.

Create your own welcoming space, the space where you can feel at home.

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Belonging to a group that does not respect your uniqueness, a group that is harming others or put your values at risk, is NOT the belonging.

It is an illusionary comfort.

It is fitting in.

It is surviving, not thriving.

***

Belong to yourself.

Stop squeezing yourself in.

Stop twisting yourself like a pretzel.

Contribute to create welcoming spaces where anyone can belong in, the spaces where everyone can thrive.

?

#belongingmatters

I am Aga Sieradzka: Coach for Belonging and Growth.

I am writing about why belonging matters - for the growth of individuals and organizations - and what are the “A to Z” elements that formulate the individual sense of belonging.

I am on the mission to normalize the language around belonging – especially when the situation we step in doesn’t serve us, when it doesn’t serve our purpose. When the internal voice whispers “I don’t think I belong here”, listen to it! - this is where the opportunities for growth are hidden.

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Global Expertise and Service Offering:

?? Executive and Life Coaching: Experience Belonging and Growth

?? Book Author "The Alphabet of Belonging"?

?? Speaking Engagements: "Why belonging matters”

?? People & Culture (HR) Strategy Consulting: World of Belonging (and how to get there - from A to Z).