Hey Reader --

You're killing it!

Already, you are demonstrating this week's #ShowUpPositive Spark BELONGING.

Belonging is about acceptance (you said yes when invited to subscribe to this email) and inclusion (you value this email enough that you've opened and read it). 😍

And I've extended belonging to you by inviting you to this weekly ritual of information sharing and giving thoughtful consideration to your needs and interests in crafting the content I share.

See, Reader, we have a perfect cycle of mutually beneficial belonging. 🫶

Belonging is established in overt actions and subtle cues.

Examples of overt actions:

• Inviting someone to join you
• Greeting someone when they enter a room
• Asking someone for their input or opinion
• Including someone

Examples of subtle cues:

• Smiling
• Nodding encouragement
• Touching

Belonging is a core human need.

In Maslow's hierarchy, it comes right after physiological and safety needs.

Without belonging, you experience loneliness, disconnection, sadness, and self-doubt, which prevent you from pursuing your higher-order needs of esteem and self-actualization.

So my biggest tip about belonging might surprise you Reader.

Often, the biggest impediment is your inability to accept yourself, flaws, and all.

Here's how it works. You believe that you are not good enough, and then your mind collects data to reinforce that belief.

Now, you have mounting evidence and a growing story that causes you to expect rejection and react defensively.

Not belonging becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So, this week, I invite you to focus on finding belonging within yourself.

Notice the unkind stories you have about who you are and your limitations.

Show the acceptance you offer to your friends and loved ones to yourself.

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Want to go deeper?

Since last fall, I have led small groups through the six-week Mental Superpowers program to name, claim, and tame the inner critic stories that hold us back.

The biggest revelation is that our kryptonite lives inside ourselves through these self-sabotaging stories and that we also have the wisdom and power to reject these lies.

If this resonates with you and you are interested in knowing more, book a chat.

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