11:11 I Belong: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Find your tribe, organize your mastermind group and frolic like the Amish.

Photo by Dušan veverkolog on Unsplash

As we come to the end of our 30-day 11:11 journey, we arrive at a topic close to my heart—soul friend groups. Peers who are also working on a dream arising from their heart and soul can help you to achieve your dreams. A mastermind group is a group of soul friends who provide mutual support that can support you as you grow your soul and make your dreams a reality. When you’re engaged with a group of like-minded beings who accept you for who you are, you can more easily reach your fullest potential. Whether you gather together for a shared project or to offer mutual support for your individual creations, a mastermind group inspires you to keep on keeping on through the sharing, socializing, brainstorming, educating and supporting of one another.

If you’re a Sensitive Soul, you may not feel like you and your biological family were a good fit. Whether it’s their chosen values, activities or attitudes, if you don’t vibe with your original tribe, you may be missing the heartfelt support that nurtures your spiritual growth. I invite you to find your tribe—even if it’s only one or two, and get a date on the calendar to frolic like the Amish.

A barn raising is an iconic symbol of Amish values of faith, community and hard work. Known as a frolic, it’s a work event that combines socializing with a practical goal. A barn raising fulfills a need while also serving to tie the Amish community together. A frolic reinforces the values of Amish society through a very visible expression of the principle of mutual aid. When newlyweds need a barn, or someone’s barn burns down, a community of men can raise that new barn in ten hours by working collaboratively, as many hands make light work.

A barn raising is a showcase of Amish planning, organization, and manual labor. They tap into the social capital and goodwill in the community, mobilize labor and come together to erect a building which serves as a linchpin of their agriculturally-rooted communities. The Amish are a separate society within our society that functions independent of the dominant culture. If you find yourself out of alignment with prevailing trends in the world, take inspiration from the Amish, and find your tribe, pool your talents, and build a supportive framework for creative projects that align with your values. Your chosen tribe can become a family of sorts, one that shows up for you and enables you to feel one of the most satisfying feelings a man, woman or child can experience in life: I belong here.

Enjoy the practical wisdom of the Amish, and if you’re so inspired, organize a frolic online or in your community.

Amish Wisdom

• Do not ask God to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet.

• Excuses are the nails that hold together the house of failure.

• A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.

• Many things have been opened by mistake, but none so frequently as the mouth.

• A small leak will sink a large ship.

• Bend the branch while it is young.

• Better to let them wonder why you didn't speak than to wonder why you did.

• Burying your talents is a grave mistake.

• Cooks and bakers know the secret to a good day is patience.

• Forgiveness withheld is like drinking poison and waiting for the offender to die.

• He who strikes the first blow confesses that he has run out of ideas.

• Mentioning the faults of others does not rid us of our own.

• Patience is accepting a difficult situation, without giving God a deadline to remove it.

• Trouble is easier to get into than out of.

• We are seldom aware of what's cooking until the pot boils over.

• What we are when we are old is what we learned when we were young.

• When a person slaps you on the back, he may be trying to help you swallow something.

• When it comes to doing things for others, some people stop at nothing.

• A man cannot be robbed of his learning.

• You can never tell where the trouble lies.

• You can’t make good hay from poor grass.

• You shouldn't worry if you don't know all the answers—you probably won't be asked all the questions.

• A person wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.

• A plant needs roots to grow. A person needs growth in order to have roots.

• A snowflake is winter’s butterfly.

• Anger is a front put up by a weak man.

• Answers that sound good aren't necessarily sound answers.

• Despite inflation, a penny for some people’s thoughts is still a fair price.

• Discernment is understanding the deeper reasons why things happen.