What it takes to build a community

Community isn’t something that just happens to you, it’s something you build. And when you leave, you leave your community too. Community cannot just be replicated elsewhere. You have to restart, and that process of building community is time-consuming and can be incredibly difficult.

When you’ve built something special the idea of leaving it is painful.

Community doesn’t happen overnight. It’s something that takes years of investment, of dedication, of time, of consistently showing up.

Our communities give us so much. Our strength, our power, our motivation, our meaning, and the support we need during difficult times. There’s no greater power than feeling like you belong somewhere.

In our own quest for growth, often fueled by ambition and individualism, we lose community. We all want community of course, but too many of us are not willing to put in the real work it takes to build one.

The truth is that building community is uncomfortable and inconvenient. It requires a level of selflessness and thinking about others that many people do not have a habit of doing. It is about freely being of service to others, of being an ambassador, and seeing yourself as a piece of something bigger.

And the best part of community is that you get to choose it. You get to help create and build it and maintain it.

While DC is a transient city, it’s a place where people move and immediately find ways to get involved. Building community requires a growth mindset and orientation towards service.

This city is extremely community-oriented and people here show up for each other. That’s harder and harder to find these days and is not something I’m willing to let go of so easily.

If you’re feeling isolated, hopeless, or in need of good spirits, now more than ever is the time to reinvest in your community. Hopefully today’s content helps you get started.