This past month has brought an unproportional share of health challenges in the most intimate inner circles of my life. To honor the privacy of each one, I will not name them, but as the month unfolded, the list of friends and family impacted by some type of health dilemma grew longer: from close family members to distant family members, to a very dear friend and the father of another dear friend – each facing scary moments of wavering health and uncertainty.
The heart wrenching feeling of the unknown, the waiting, the researching, the outcomes – some good, some bad. This is life. This is the real stuff. It’s what matters.
In each of these unfolding circumstances, however, something powerful happened. Beautiful circles of love and support formed. My own role in each of these circles of love varied. Sometimes it was a shoulder to cry upon, sometimes sending love and prayers or just being the one to listen with all my heart and being. Other times, I leaned into the circle needing support myself – feeling the strength of “one” that we created from the gifts of many.
What I am super aware of this month is none of us do this life alone. We are stronger when we live into the circles of love that surround us. There is healing and great power to uplift in the intersecting circles of our life.
Today I am feeling the blessings of the many circles of love that intersect my life. Let me tell you what I love about each of these circles that shape my life, make me who I am and make me stronger every day.
- My Family Circle: My husband, my son, my Mom and my sister and my brother and their families – their husband and wife and my nieces and nephews. Despite and maybe even because of our differences – together, we are really strong. I think of a giant oak tree with branches of varying shapes and sizes – but with a shared trunk – the kind so solid that you can’t even wrap your arms around it – and a deeply rooted foundation of love that holds our tree strong. And this family circle expands – to aunts and cousins and in-laws and more. Yes, this is my family. I feel resilient love and true grit here.
- My Friends Circle: I have a beautiful circle of friends that I can call upon at any given moment who will celebrate my growth and wins and lift me up in the depth of loss or despair. Some of my friends I’ve known for decades and others only a few years. There is true caring. We’ve been through all sorts of life circumstances – marriages, divorces, births, deaths, laughter, tears, celebrations and more – together we ride the waves of life. I smile and feel joy here.
- My Syzygy Circle: A few years ago, we formalized the way my clients can connect with one another with a private group called the Syzygy Circle. I had no idea how powerful it would be to connect this inspiring group of people together in support of one another. Great friendships have blossomed amongst the many like-minded souls. They bounce ideas off of each other, share their personal stories and open doors where doors need opening. I personally, lean into this circle of love with my own journey, knowing that while I have helped so many of them launch new chapters of growth and discovery in their life – they are also my biggest fans and cheerleaders when I launch into new realms of personal and professional growth – places that might be scary if I were all alone. I feel safe here.
- My Professional Circles: I’m a connector – I love to connect great people to great people. And over the course of my professional life I’ve had co-workers and co-collaborators and co-creators, and get a big spark of enthusiasm when I can connect two people together who I think need to know each other. This has served me well. Because I have built real relationships of trust and support. It’s why I collaborate with others instead of focusing on competitive scarcity – I believe in shared abundance. I love that I can pick up the phone and ask someone – “Can you help me with this?” and I love it when I can reciprocate. I feel abundant love here.
- My Mastermind Circle: I am part of a fabulous group of like-minded entrepreneurs focused on growing our businesses led my wonderful business coach. Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy and certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. There are good days and bad days – and even in the expanse of a single day, you can face all kinds of ups and downs – believing in yourself, doubting yourself, celebrating a win, to moments later wondering what the hell you did wrong. It’s all normal and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But being able to lean into this group and learn from each other, to cheer each other on, to uplift each other through both professional and personal dilemmas has been instrumental to my own growth. I feel empowered love here.
- My Community Circles: I love to work with others in shared causes, raising funds, volunteering and making a difference. Our passions spark ideas together and when we band arm-in-arm we can make sweeping changes in the lives of others. In my neighborhood, we watch out for each other’s homes and help out when a neighbor needs help. I feel like I matter here.
Yes, all of these circles of love help me grow, expand and heal. They keep me grounded in what is real in life and guide me to brighter days when things are dark. They help me believe in myself, my journey and the power of togetherness. In all of these cases, I know there is exponential strength in numbers. I know when I join others in prayer and thoughts and positive thinking, that we can transform outcomes.
My hope for you today is that you will stop and consider the important circles in your life. Name each circle and consider why it’s important to you. Write about it. Consider how you feel in the comfort of each circle. Reach out and tell people what they mean to you. We all can get caught up in the busy-ness of our day-to-day living and what’s really most important can fall between the cracks of life, if we don’t pay attention.
And as you explore these circles, lean in if you need to, or reach out in support. It takes nurturing and love to maintain and build and grow these foundations. Are there areas in your life where you need a little added support? Chances are it’s all within reach in the circles of your life. Chances are you can make a difference in the life of someone today.