Your Tribe

Chubby fingers weren’t made for iPhones.

They often fumble about the sensitive touch-screen, pressing unintended letters and links until I land in app corners of Twitter and Etsy that I’ve never seen before.

Like lists.

Are you aware of lists on Twitter?  I wasn’t until a few nights ago when my index finger pointed them out to me (pun intended).  The names of the lists you’re on reflect how others view you (and as you all know, perception is everything).

I was thankful to be included on some inspired lists—’Uplifting’, ‘Empowerment’, ‘Kick-Ass Women’—but one list truly touched me: ’My Tribe’.

Isn’t that lovely?

A tribe is a group of people united by descent, traditions, customs, or the like.

A tribe rallies beside you, encourages you, lights your heart and soul ablaze with glittery goodness in a way only your tribe knows how.  They inspire you to move in your right direction and call you on your shiz when you run the other way in the name of fear and troublesome you.

They laugh at your jokes.

As entrepreneurs, you need a good tribe.  You need people who inspire you to grow, learn, and create.  You need mentors, someone to ask those seemingly silly questions to when you’re just starting out, someone to reflect on ideas with, someone to say ‘I’m so proud of what you’re doing,’ or ‘Run like hell away from that!’

Call those people.  Thank those people.  Be that person to someone else.

As a woman, you need a good tribe.  You need other women to inspire you to grow, learn, and love.

Your girlfriends—you know the ones I’m talking about.  The ones you used to stay on the phone with for hours talking about nothing before life got in the way.  The ones you used to borrow deodorant from on your way to work because you forgot to put yours on.  (Yeah, I did that.  Don’t judge me.)

Call those girls.  Love those girls.  Let them borrow your deodorant.

And this is the head of my uplifting, empowering, kick-ass women tribe.  My mother.

Graduation from MBA program, December 2010.  Man, I was tired.

Watching her taught me independence.  Watching her taught me that being a wife and mother doesn’t  mean forfeiting who you are and everything you want to become.

Watching her taught me to dance like no one is watching even when they are.

And I call her every day.

Who is in your tribe?  Who can you support today?