Themes of Hope
July 24, 2024
Focus on “Me”
August 7, 2024
Where is your focus these days; are you thinking about “me” or “we?” Both are important. Your first responsibility is to yourself, and resilience is found in community. The Olympics are going on while I write this. There is a clear focus on “me” as each athlete knows their body and maintains a high level of mental focus. The “we” is also in plain view. Every competitor has a team to support, advise, and encourage them. The entire event is a collaboration of thousands of people working together. To be an Olympian is to be part of a worldwide community. The dance between “me” and “we” is lifelong. In this blog series we will look at the need for both.
The 'Me' of It
“Me” develops over time. You were born with a sense of connectedness; human newborns are 100% dependent on caregivers for survival. Biologically immature at birth, recognition of self is a gradual process that blossoms fully by age 2 when “me” becomes a favorite word. Impacted by culture, personality traits, and life experiences, your sense of “me” as a separate person develops throughout your lifespan. As a young child your family and local community provide your life experiences and input as to who you are. Adolescence begins the process of reaching out to the larger world. Now as an adult you can reflect on how you see yourself, your me and make independent decisions about what input you value.
The 'We' of It
“We” is ever changing. Your “we” started with the people and community who raised you. As you grew, and your world expanded, new people, communities and ideas became available to explore. Now as an adult you are connected to several layers of “we” and you have a great deal of choice as to how much time and attention you give to others.
Being a part of something greater than yourself allows you to make an impact that is only possible in collaboration. This is the power of “we”. The trick is often in finding the right community for yourself at this time in life. These two points of view, “me” and “we”, are strongly interconnected. You define yourself partly by the company that you keep. And the people in your life reflect back to you who you are. As change happens, you can take time out to reflect on your current constellation of connections.
In day-to-day life, we need to balance our individual needs with our connections with others in order to stay resilient and to thrive. Over the next few weeks, we will explore how to balance focusing on yourself with the need to connect with others. We will discuss when to prioritize personal growth and when to invest in relationships, aiming to create a resilient life that acknowledges both personal and communal needs.
Peace,
Laura A Gaines
