Have You Found Your Tribe? - Issue #293 Invincible Career - Claim your power and regain your freedom

A friend of mine made a significant career pivot years ago. He decided that he wanted more out of work and life, so he invested in himself and went after it. He’s been very successful!
However, he discovered that odd experience which sometimes happens when you change, grow, and move in a new direction. His old friends wanted to hold him back. Sadly, he found that he had to create a new circle of friends who were just as ambitious as he is.
I've experienced this a few times in my life when I made significant career changes. Many of my old acquaintances faded out of my life.
Once we no longer had the bond of a shared office or similar work, we lost touch. Once I could no longer help people with my position, I wasn’t viewed as someone useful who could be leveraged.
A few of my friends stayed by my side. They were friends with "me," not my job title. We've stayed in touch for several years and catch up when we can. They are supportive of my new lifestyle and business.
Surprisingly, a tiny number of people are directly antagonistic. They mock my new business and seem upset about my lifestyle changes. They’ve said that I was crazy to throw away all of the progress in my previous career.
So, like my friend, I had to find a new tribe. I created a new circle of friends and colleagues who were more supportive.
I did it because it's so tough to succeed alone. I'm not talking about having business partners or employees. I'm also not talking about your boss or coworkers because:
* Work is a competitive environment where only a few people can get promoted.
* You can't openly share your fear, uncertainty, or doubt without some sort of repercussions.
* Most people have mediocre bosses — or even downright bad ones — who aren't exactly supportive and nurturing.
I'm talking about finding your professional support network. Finding your tribe of people who want to see you succeed. Becoming part of a community that wants to help you grow.
“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.” ― Seth Godin
Your tribe is a small group of people who:
* Provide guidance because many of us are at different points in our journeys
* Act as a confidential sounding board for your important decisions
* Answer your questions, no matter how crazy they might seem
* Support each other in their goals because you're all on similar paths
* Help you with connections and resources
* Have your best interests in mind and lift you up when you're feeling discouraged
It can't be too large (e.g., all of your connections on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook won’t work well for this purpose). You need a certain degree of intimacy to ensure that people are really committed to helping each other.
I’m guessing that you’ve already experienced the pros and cons of being part of a community at some point in your life. But, our early experiences with them aren’t exactly the same as later experiences with communities you intentionally choose to join.
Early community experiences
Our early experiences with communities were not entirely under our control. As children, we lived in the communities where our parents chose to make our homes.
Most of us went to schools where we encountered yet another community. Again, we did not have much choice in this. Perhaps your parents intentionally selected your school and, therefore, your community of peers. In my case, our tiny town had one public school. No choice.
My “community experience” wasn’t the best. I go into more detail in the audio version (scroll up to play) because it’s easier to explain things verbally instead of trying to capture it all in text.
Later in life, you probably selected your college or university for advanced education. Although you couldn’t choose whic