This week on the podcast I’m sharing mantras we can use to keep us focused and in a good spot in 2021, no matter what this year may bring, collectively or individually. We’ve been living through some challenging times and we’re still in it. We’ll all have times of needing to dig deep, whether that’s figuring out how to keep your house, giving up on a plan or dream you had for yourself that the pandemic has made irrelevant, or just trying to stay resilient and loving in the face of another day or week or month of distance learning. Today’s mantra for 2021 is Stronger Together.
Listen to the Podcast Here
Yes, it was Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign slogan. But let’s just leave politics out of it for a minute, shall we?
It’s easy to get siloed in your own home, and in your own thinking at any time, but especially during a pandemic, when we’re not gathering with each other much if at all outside the house. And especially on the heels of a Presidential election when it feels like the gap between Democrat and Republican is a gaping hole it’s easy to be more aware of differences than similarities.
Stronger together means we’re in this together—this life, this planet, this moment, and if we can acknowledge this truth we don’t have to focus on keeping others out.
Reminding yourself that we are stronger together inspires you to pause and consider other people’s point of view
And then actually have conversations with others about their points of view. I’m not going to lie. This is hard work. It can be maddening work. Especially when the person or group you’re talking to sees things in a way that you perceive to be wrong. But it is how we make an inclusive and equitable world. Perhaps not the exact world that we’d create if we were grand master of everything, but one that works, and one that might surprise you.
Here’s an example of how creating something with other people can work out differently
And better than when you do it on your own. It’s like when my husband and I first got married and moved into our first apartment together. Our aesthetics couldn’t have been more different. He liked things clean and modern. I was totally into the shabby chic vibe. My favorite way to spend a Saturday was at the flea market, finding something old and eclectic to add to the mix.
Let’s just say it wasn’t easy finding our joint aesthetic. Basically, I hated nearly everything he liked, and he hated nearly everything I liked. But, when there were things we both liked, we went with it. And we ended up somewhere that’s not either one of our personal aesthetics, but honestly, way cooler and more interesting.
Stronger Together reminds you that you don’t have to have things all figured out on your own, and that by collaborating in good faith with others you’ll get somewhere better than you could have imagined. (Which, hey, relates directly to tomorrow’s final mantra for 2021. How bout that!)
There’s also an element of Stronger Together that relates to vulnerability
Sometimes being strong means asking for help, or just authentically sharing with someone else.
Stronger together also means, when you’re down, you reach out or open up to someone else. And when you’re good, you help those who need a hand.
Also, stronger together means, when we come together as a collective we are so incredibly powerful. Pope Francis speaks to this idea of Stronger Together with this quote: “By ourselves we risk seeing mirages, things that are not there. Dreams on the other hand are built together.”
Daily Tiny Assignment
Your tiny assignment is to look for ways to do something together with someone that you would otherwise try to do yourself. Whether that’s share your pain, or ease someone else’s, share a dream, or just soften your views toward your fellow humans when you notice your judgment going off and imagine them on the same team.
Come back tomorrow for that final mantra for 2021, which continues on this theme of seeing what’s possible.
