Tribe: do you have one?

Do you have a small group of people in your life? People you can trust, share with, learn from and grow with?

Call it your personal tribe.

This is how humanity went from hunter gatherer to become the dominant life force on earth. Collaborating, sharing, learning and growing in small groups.

Over time, as we got more connected, it might have seemed for a moment that we were all one, a global community, accessible and available.

But fundamentally, I still hold that our inherent nature is to live and grow in small tribes. It is how interactions can be meaningful, true growth can happen in an environment of trust.

So do you have a personal tribe?

Robin Dunbar, an anthropologist, suggested that a human being can maintain meaningful relationships with up to 150 people.

A smaller subset perhaps within this group, but beyond this number, you would need to introduce rules and systems to maintain relationships.

So here is the formula you might want to use. Do you have 15-25 people with whom you have deep, meaningful relationships?

Do you have a larger cohort of up to 150 people, whom you know well enough to call your tribe?

The people will be selected as a function of your priorities. Poetry, singing, travelling, your profession perhaps.

After all, blacksmiths would learn from other blacksmiths as well. So you need professionals in your tribe.

Consider throwing in skills that you dont possess at all. Maybe you dont know how to run, moutain climb or sing.

Adding such people into your community helps you grow at the edges of your capacity.

If all of this sounds too structured, remember it is happening by default in any case. You migth as well apply some thought to who you are spending your time with.

By the way, thank you for making me a part of your tribe. I hope I have helped.

Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain