JOIN THE COMMUNITY
You are part of a community. Whether you recognise it or not... but how are you adding to your community? Communities are essential to any lifestyle and can have a massive impact on the way we live, think and act. In a simplistic view, a community is a group of people either living in the same place or having particular interests in common. That can be your town/ city/ country / workplace / training group or similar.
A couple of ‘communities’ I’ve been subjected to and have had large influences in my life in particular, have been Guernsey, Wales, my swim squad, Architectural education / cohort, and more recently the National Triathlon Performance Centre in Wales and the Entire Community. Each one has had different influences on my life in one way or the other and I’ve valued each and every one.
It’s the community you surround yourself in that encourages you to be who you are. It’s the classic case of surround yourself with those that bring out the best in you not the worst. Success breeds success... etc. What I want to draw attention to is the fact that being part of a community is not only about what you can take from that community, but what you can give back.
If you aren’t giving back to the group you surround yourself with, then the balance is wrong.
If you aren’t brining things to the table to enable that community to thrive then you aren’t a valuable part of that community and are therefore expendable... in the harshest of words...
What got me thinking about the communities we are part of was listening to podcasts with Dan Lorang and Joel Filliol, coaches of triathlon world champions both in Ironman and WTS, who both speak at length about the team you surround yourself with and how that effects the environment and success of the process.
This can be seen in training groups or within the workplace. What do you bring to the table? In Triathlon are you the best swim/bike/runner and are therefore someone to train with and aspire to be like? Or are you a personality that keeps the group together, organizing sessions, providing banter, advice, inspirational words etc.
Are you a ‘role model’ ... are you the joker... are you the coach, nutritionist, physiologist, s+c, psychologist or athlete? ... make sure you’re an integral part of that community and you’re giving as much as you’re taking.
Our Entire Community is focused around providing that all round package, bringing like minded people together. If we aren’t able to provide a part of the community environment you're seeking, then we are able to facilitate helping you find it! Help each other create the community that you want to be part of and let it thrive.
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