A few months back I caught wind of the “Community over Competition” movement being led by the Rising Tide Society. I remember being so intrigued by what was happening over the industries of creative entrepreneurs as people were using hashtags like #communityovercompetition. The truth is, it’s easy for us as entrepreneurs to feel alone. We often put ourselves on our own lonely islands “bustling” day in and day out alone, we look at any one else as competition and we forget the human need for community. I know awhile ago I went through a spree of “unfollowing” other artists because I didn’t want my stuff to be clouded by what everyone else was doing. It wasn’t that I didn’t like those people, it was a mere protection mechanism for my heart to focus on the “why” I am creating art and not the “how do I make it look like ______.” I slowly started to realize that without that community, my heart felt so alone. I had put myself back onto that lonely island of making things happen on my own and it was anything but margaritas and sand.
I started to really dig deep. How can I help change this? What do people need to hear to know that we aren’t alone, we will never be alone. How can I encourage people to seek community over competition and know that together, we can do so much more! What if instead of competing with one another we sought out community? What if we banded together and celebrated each other? What if we truly believed that her success is my success? What if we lived in a world of collaboration not comparison? Seriously, what if? I’ve been thinking a lot about how to celebrate women. I think somewhere in life we were taught to compete: for men, for attention, for success, for jobs. We look at her and see where we measure up. Are we skinnier, prettier, more successful, or desirable? We forget that we are all in this together and instead of raising one another up, we tear down. No one ever made themselves great by making someone else feel small. Celebrate one another’s success without questioning your own, let their success be a reflection of your own potential.
I was so flattered and excited when the founders of the Rising Tide Society asked me to speak at their first summit coming up in December. I said yes without hesitating (and forgetting that I will be moving house during the time of the summit, but hey, we will figure it out later, right?) My heart is in building up others, I want to lift up as many entrepreneurs as I can. If I could have one thing in life it would be to make sure everyone felt enough and no one felt alone. I am excited to talk about authentic marketing and just how to really liberate yourself as a business owner to be the person you were created to be. (Even if that person loves mac and cheese and yoga pants!) The first online summit is December 8-10 and their speaker line up is AMAZING! Three nights, nine speakers and daily activities for the Rising Tide community, the best part? It’s ONLINE and AFFORDABLE! Registration opens on Wednesday with early-bird access for a very limited time. The seats will go quickly, so click this link here if you want to learn more, check out the line up and get to know the Rising Tide Society and the amazing heart behind it! Here’s to the strong ones: may we be them, may we celebrate them, may we surround ourselves with them, and may we raise them.
Click here to learn more about the first RTS Summit!
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