Building a Support Group

by Kurt DuNard The Exceptional Life Coach

Who can you count on? If you lost your job, how many people would point you in the right direction for new opportunities? Some people have lost their jobs, homes, and spouses and are just looking for a place to sleep. Who would give you a meal, a couch to sleep on, or a place to take a shower? Have you been there for someone else? Whom have you helped lately?

Some say we are in a greater depression than the last one. I don’t know about that, but I can tell you we are going through dramatic changes and I think we are all going to need help and we are all going to need to also give help. During the last depression, my grandparents would receive a knock on the back door with a request for something to eat. My grandmother would always fix a sandwich and have the homeless man eat on the back porch. We always wondered if some kind of secret sign was in front of the house as my grandparents received a lot of requests. Many of these people were good people who were just out of work and could not find a job. The thought was “ There, but for the grace of God, go I .”

A support group is not just for when times are bad; a support group helps make good times better. We can use such a group to help us figure out the world. There is nothing like having a vigorous discussion about what is important—whether that be a difficult boss or a move to a new city. For many of us, we do better at forming fully developed well thought out ideas when we discuss them with others.

We humans need others to be better at becoming ourselves. Isolated people tend to stagnate.

The only way we can build better support groups is by joining more groups and being supportive. Some people do it by volunteering at soup kitchens, homeless shelters, building a Habitat for Humanity house, reading to children at the library, teaching adults to read, and many more places. Get to know the other volunteers and form an informal group with some of them. We don’t have to volunteer; we can also find people for our support group by getting involved with other people with similar interests. Get involved in political campaigns, start a book club, garden club, or travel club. Some of these people will become friends and they can be candidates for your support group. Many people also get their support group by joining service/business organizations. The main thing is that we can’t build a support group unless we are meeting people. So we must increase our chances of meeting people in a positive way.

If we meet these people for a common purpose to help others or to better our lives, then we are going to meet the right kind of people. We are going to meet people who we can support and who we can count on for support.

Do you know your neighbors? Form a neighborhood watch and get to know them. They can be important members of your support group. Is there anyone you could mentor or help in you office? This can build a lifelong friendship and a great support member. Don’t forget about family members (your original support group). Get together and grow a vegetable garden and then can it, dry it, and preserve it; it will be wonderful at the Thanksgiving dinner.

Building a support group is incredibly valuable and like most valuable things, it takes a lot of effort. The good news is that this kind of effort can be pleasurable and the best parts of our lives. You can bet that on your deathbed you will not be thinking about your bank account. You will be thinking about those you love—your support group.

 

 

Copyright © 2010 Kurt W. DuNard All Rights Reserved
For more information feel free to Contact Us. Permission must be granted to reprint any item in writing.