Build A Team

I had a great meeting a while back with Damon Vignale, the producer, writer and director of “The Vetala”, a GEMINI and LEO award winning webseries that I was blessed to be a part of.

We were talking about my 40by40 website and he said to me,

“You have to build a team around you.”

I thought that was great advice and I’m actively doing as he suggested but that wisdom can also be applied to every day life…

Sometimes the very people we think should be supporting us unfortunately didn’t or couldn’t (emotionally) step up to the plate. For example, as a child, you don’t have as much control over whether your family is supportive, but as an adult you have the ability to create a different kind of family support. This choice applies to partners, lovers, friends, family, and anyone else of importance in your life. You can do something about it; you don’t have to settle for less than what you deserve.

You can build your own team and these are a few suggestions on where to begin:

1. Surround yourself with people that support you both in words and in action.
2. Limit or completely separate yourself from relationships that are draining, toxic or depleting your energy.
3. Find those CHEERLEADERS! The people who genuinely are happy for your success, with not an ounce of jealousy, envy or negativity.
4. Build and nurture relationships that teach you, inspire you and motivate you.
5. LISTEN – to your gut, to what’s being said to you and how it’s being said, and what you are saying to yourself. You need to be your biggest support, so make sure you are feeding yourself with positive, healthy, good stuff. If you create that supportive inner world, you will create a supportive outer world.
6. Accept help when offered…

Those are things that worked for me and they can also help you build your ‘life team’. I have been blessed to know some amazing people and here are a couple examples of people who have touched my life and are a part of my team:

Jody Kennett from Leapfit – She is my trainer and she is my friend. We laugh a lot but she also keeps me focused. She created a program that’s challenging but exactly what I need. She has sent me emails of such encouragement and support and she genuinely cheers me on.

Renee Shupe from Redhead Business Management – if it wasn’t for Renee, this blog would be a ‘blob’. Thank goodness when I spoke to her about the design she knew what to listen to, and thankfully, what to ignore otherwise this would have looked more like a site for industrial mining products than an inspirational website.

Dr. Benita Basra from Ocean Wellness – She is my chiropractor and quickly becoming my friend. I admire her values as a woman, mother, wife and professional. She has supported me when I’ve been at my most vulnerable…both physically and emotionally.

Carmen How - pretty much most of the photos that you see on this website are photos Carmen took. I love her talent, gentle nature and creative eye and I’m thrilled that she was able to capture through photos, what I am trying to express in words.

And then I am so blessed to have this amazing, COURAGEOUS, strong, LOVING and supportive group of WOMEN in my life. Some I have known for years and some are new friendships. They bring LAUGHTER, understanding, WISDOM and support into my life. I feel very blessed to know each of them.

I also have some pretty amazing men in my life too. Nice guys who care about me and they show me…

Remember it’s your team…you decide who is around you…who makes the cut and who doesn’t. Sometimes you have to get rid of a few players to make room for more valuable teammates. It may not be easy, but it is necessary.

BUILD A TEAM AROUND YOU was excellent advice and I encourage you to build upon your already existing team or begin creating a new one. Surround yourself with support, love, honesty, loyalty and laughter. Surround yourself with people who lift you up, inspire you, and motivate you.

And don’t forget to accept help when offered…it’s ok, sometimes you don’t have to do it all…

With a smile

Tina