As you walk the path of Saving and Investing, the doors to Choosing Work You Love open up to you. It becomes more and more possible that you can live a life that is completely different to your current one. When you begin creating the life you want to live, it becomes more and more important to find people on the same journey as you.
Evolution isn’t just something we read about in a textbook. We evolve as people when we begin to take on new challenges. When we rethink how we approach money and work on a deep level, our innate ability to become something greater takes over. All that we need to do is move this energy in the right direction.
Finding people on the same journey as you allows you to learn by osmosis. Your mindset and strategy will improve simply by being in their presence. Spending time with new people in new ways helps you become a better version of yourself.
Welcome to the Work Series – my thoughts on how work isn’t just what pays you: it’s what you overcome to become the best version of yourself.
The Importance of Community
Humanity has formed communities for millennia. Communities form naturally in the animal kingdom also. People naturally come together to unite for a common goal, whether that is religion, a hobby, or business ventures. Communities make it easy – and beneficial – to spend time with others.
There are many reasons to be part of a community. Communities provide you with a sense of purpose and belonging, but have plenty of other benefits as well.
Learning
Finding a like-minded community allows you to learn at a much faster rate than if you work at your goals alone.
Through these communities, you can learn about strategies that other people have used – successful or otherwise. You may discover ways to change your own life strategy as a result. Conversely, you can share your experiences with others to help them on their journey.
The best relationships are give and take. You’ll be able to learn from those around you, while offering your own teachings in return. This way, everyone in the community can grow and feel as though they have something to add to the group.
Accountability
Communities aren’t just useful for sharing information. They can also help you stay on track and achieve your goals.
If you’re working on building a business, then joining a community of business owners may help you stay on track. This can also lead to further conversations or offering support to one another when dealing with challenges.
Communities that foster environments to share your thoughts and stay accountable are powerful. Finding groups that challenge you in this way allow you to continue to be better – for yourself and for others.
Friendship
The most important aspect of meeting new people is making new friends.
Communities provide value by bringing together people who share common goals. By joining a community for one of your interests, you will instantly find common ground with the people you meet. The odds of you making friends with at least someone here is much higher.
As your interests change (and especially as your relationship with work begins to change), you may yourself becoming distant from friends you were once close to. Your priorities begin to differ from those who aren’t on the same journey as you. And while this doesn’t make them less of a friend, it does influence the impact they play in your life.
We have all heard the saying that “you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”. Jim Rohn was absolutely on the money with this one. If your friendship circle isn’t moving in the direction that you want to move in your life, you may find yourself engaging in things that you aren’t fully committed to. As your interests change, so too do your friendships. The common ground that once brought you together can stifle your ability to evolve.
If your interests are shifting, then finding a group of people willing to talk about those interests is essential. If you want your inner circle to include people with interests more aligned to your own, you’ll usually find those people through community.
My Community
In my university and early career days, I was part of many trading card communities in my local area. I left these communities over time as that interest faded and as full-time work began to take over.
Unfortunately, I didn’t replace these communities with any others. This left a void in my life that made me feel as though I wasn’t contributing to anything bigger than myself. This only worsened as work began to take over the majority of my time. Thankfully, I now have a much healthier relationship with work, and have since found new communities to join.
The benefit of community isn’t just meeting new people. It’s feeling like you’re part of something bigger than yourself, and doing things for people other than yourself. Offering guidance and opinions, sharing resources, and serving others allows us to fill any voids we have in our lives. Serving others is an excellent way to find a purpose.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve been committed to being part of a new community. One that fosters my changed interests and allows me to share my passions. And one that has led me to making many new friends and meeting some incredible and talented people.
Melbourne FIRE
I’m a part of the Financial Independence Retire Early community here in Melbourne, Australia. It’s a group of people who are all in various stages of their FIRE journey. Every month, we meet at a pub in Melbourne1 and share our stories with those pursuing FIRE.
Sometimes finances comes up as part of the conversation, but it has become more than just sharing finance tips. We have a large contingent of positive and driven people who are striving for positive change in their lives. Sometimes this involves talking about anything from travel plans to changes to our work situations.
It’s one thing to find people who are on the same journey as you. But the Melbourne FIRE community has grown to become a group of friends all on this journey. That, to me, is amazing to see and be a part of.
Tribe FI
A few days ago, I returned home from Tribe FI – a Financial Independence retreat held in Sydney, Australia. Over 50 investors, entrepreneurs, nomads, and early retirees gathered from half a dozen countries to make new friends in the Financial Independence community.
Just like the Firespark Retreat earlier this year (which I wrote about here), Tribe FI was an amazing way for people in this community to get together, listen to some stories, and work towards an extraordinary future. And I feel extremely lucky to have been part of it.
Tribe FI featured plenty of incredible speakers. We were treated to talks from Alan and Katie Donegan, Ruth from The Happy Saver, Tash and Ana from the Get Rich Slow Club, and talks from members of the FI community. We also had plenty of time to get to know the attendees, with time to chat during meals and in breakout discussions.
After a successful first day at the retreat, we found out from Rob (the event organiser) that Tribe FI #2 will be happening next year. By the end of the retreat, tickets were available, and I am locked in! I’m extremely excited to see local FI events be successful and continue to grow.
I learned a lot from the retreat, especially regarding how I approach earning an income on my terms and how I create content online. I am planning to share my thoughts on this in a new and interesting way soon.
How To Find People on the Same Journey as You
It is easier than ever to find people on the same journey as you – whatever that journey is. There are websites dedicated to finding people with common interests, and we use social media every day. Finding people wherever they meet is the easiest way to join the conversation and meet new people.
Find People Online
The Internet has made it easier than ever to connect with people about any interest you have. Whether you like personal finance, weird memes, toasted sandwiches or anything else, chances are someone else likes that thing too. All you have to do is find them.
There are endless amounts of groups online talking about this. Simply search the platform of your choice to find them.
I joined all of the local FIRE Facebook groups when I was getting started with personal finance a few years ago. This was how I discovered a local meetup and met other people in the community – many of which have gone on to become good friends.
Go To Events
If you have the ability to go to in-person events for your interests, I highly recommend it. Not only do you get the chance to meet people face to face, but it puts you in new situations.
Local meetup groups put you face to face with people with the same interests as you. And if your interest isn’t too niche, chances are the people that attended live close by too. This makes it even easier to maintain friendships or meet at future events.
If there aren’t any events for your interest, you could always start one. The FIRE meetups I attend started out impromptu, but quickly became consistent.
All a fire needs to ignite is a spark. Perhaps your in-person community group doesn’t exist right now, but is only one event away from becoming a reality. There may be people keen to meet up but haven’t shared that thought. Posting in local groups to find events (or hosting your own) is a sure-fire way to meet new people with similar interests to you.
Get Uncomfortable
There are challenges with joining new groups, and even when doing anything new.
Our minds are programmed to resist change. Change leads to the unknown, to danger, and to possible threats. Your brain will do everything in its power to come up with excuses as to why you shouldn’t do something. Meeting new people is no exception.
I’m an introverted person. I find it difficult and tiring to engage with new people – even if it’s regarding something I really enjoy.
Even getting involved with the FIRE community in Melbourne was a challenge at first. Balancing my full-time consulting role with meetups and making new friends was difficult. But I knew that if I wanted to change my life, I had to do things that were uncomfortable or difficult.
You have to be willing to do something scary, or awkward, or embarrassing, or tiring, or different, if you want to change. If you feel like you want something different, you have to put yourself in an environment that allows you to take it.
If you want something enough and have the means to do so, you will do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. If meeting new people is a genuine priority, you will find a way to make it work.
Closing
Communities help you to find people on the same journey as you. Whatever interests you have or skills you want to develop, there is a community out there for you.
Chances are you have a lot to offer that community, too.
Finding people on the same journey as you makes your goal less isolating, easier, and more meaningful.
All of which are hallmarks of a life well lived.
Thank you for reading.
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- The Melbourne FIRE Brigade meets at the Mail Exchange Hotel in Melbourne, Australia, on the first Tuesday of every month. There are reminders posted in many of the local FI Facebook groups, so I recommend joining those to spot them. Or just turn up in person! ↩︎