Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe
Autumn Vibes
It was pumpkinfest in Franklin, Tennessee. I'm a sucker for all things autumn, but I didn't go for the fall festivities. I went back for a tribe. Something I truly felt part of...ish.
Last year, I attended Tribe Conference for the first time. I wrote about the whole meaning of tribe for me here. And this year–though more comfortable with myself walking in as an official veteran of the event–I couldn't help but let my misfit tendencies creep in.
Trying to play it off with a lovely "your vibe attracts your tribe" sticker strategically placed over the days on my calendar designated for the conference, I was prepared to soak in all the motivational speeches I knew were coming. I was ready. I went to be inspired so that I could convince myself that I was becoming more and more a part of this author-creative crowd.
And then, the unexpected.
We Mean Business
Don't get me wrong. I have never been a part of anything Jeff Goins offers without getting high-quality value for inspiration as well as actual business. But I guess I was missing an element of tying together what I create with what I actually do. You know, my work. I have just been studying this creative thing, and trying to make it work. It's not what I actually do, right?
As if beautifully orchestrated in perfect pitch, each speaker showered us with inspirational speeches to fuel our creativity and self-worth, then provided practical, working formulas (I use that word cautiously) for implementation. It was almost as if all along the two were cohorts and I was an unwitting apprentice whose guide was masterfully showing me the magic behind the curtain. For a fiction writer like me, with a background in education and ministry, just seeing that what I do as a professional can be about what I create, was worth any investment. Professional artist. I used to think people who wore that title lived in lofts above the streets of Paris, and professionals can wave an amateur stick at creativity, leaving the real craftsmanship to them. But maybe the two go hand in hand.
The Tribe
No matter where you are in your journey, the cool thing about Tribe Conference is that you'll find someone on a similar path when you lean in. It wasn't always a speaker who spoke to the soul. It was the guy sitting next to me who asked to hear more of my story. It was the woman I listened to as we shed a tear. It was the writer, photographer, blogger, business coach who revealed how she links beautiful chords of artistry in a twine of purposeful business endeavors.
It won't look like mine. Mine will look like mine. And yours will look like yours.
Just A Few Takeaways
Make something you love for someone who will love it. – Todd Henry
People will follow your physical cues no matter what is going on in your head. – Marsha Shandur (thank God almighty)
Self awareness plus self compassion equals the key to everything good. – Melissa Dinwidddie
How can I put myself and those around me in the mindset that we can do anything? – Chase Jarvis
Celebrate what makes you weird. – Chase Jarvis
Continue a small, daily practice.
Don't argue with your words, argue with your execution. – Charles Lee (is there a more timely message than this?)
How to move forward with confidence: show up, be real, love others, don't quit. – Alli Worthington
A tool will only work if you pick it up and use it. – Alli Worthington
This isn't about closing a sale, it's about opening a relationship. – Mike Kim
When you share your story, it gives others the power to say what their soul has silently been screaming. – Tim Grahl (read that last part again...their soul has been silently screaming)
You don't build an audience, you find one. – Joseph Michael
The world is hungry for your secret sauce. – Paul Angone
Humility is different than denying what you were created to do. – Ken Davis
There were probably a hundred other things said that spoke to my heart. As I sat engrossed in the moment, not everything got written down. But, it's not always about what people say. I think it's a lot about what we hear.
The Power Of Your Tribe
And honestly, it wasn't a point on the screen that stuck with me the most. It was a simple phrase that a now-successful man shared about his journey of failure. Paul Angone during a snippet of his talk, said he was warring for hope. I don't know if it's a phrase he uses regularly, but to me it was gripping. Warring for hope.
In a world where so much war is centered around hate, if we battle for something different, then hope wins. Even then, hate-filled outbursts in our country were happening while we enjoyed a weekend in the presence of inspiration and love, rallying our troops around hope. In our tribe.
Choose wisely. It could make all the difference in the world.
And if it's this you're looking for, I couldn't give a higher recommendation. There's room here. Tribe Conference 2019 is already on my calendar. Come say hello.