Ten Ways to Find Your Tribe

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Seth Godin’s definition of a tribe is “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader and connected to an idea” To become a tribe, people need only “a shared interest and a way to communicate.”

Have you found your Tribe yet? Have you looked?

It took me a lot of years to recognize not only my need for a Tribe, but also to find it.

Now, I belong to several Tribes, some as a member and some as a leader.

You might not think you’ve found your Tribe, but in one small way you have. As readers of The Dreaming Café you belong to this Tribe. You can connect and share ideas and support one another at The Dreaming Café’s blog, Facebook page and on Twitter.

You may belong to other Tribes, as well. Think about it.

But, what if you are looking for more, a deeper connection or a connection to a larger group of people? What if you haven’t found your Tribe yet?

Listed below are Ten Ways to Find Your Tribe:

1. Have Lunch – Invite someone you don’t know very well out to lunch. Keep the conversation on them, get them to talk about themselves, be curious, sincere and listen actively. When lunch is over you may part and never have lunch again, you may have found a new friend or you may have found a member of your Tribe.
2. Learn – Attend a lecture, class or workshop in a topic you are interested in. Hang out during the breaks and afterward and talk to the other attendees. You already share a similar interest. Find what else you have in common, ask for and give contact information and follow-up afterward.
3. Ask questions - Ask questions and actively listen to the answers. Get to know people. The people you meet during the day while going about your normal activities could be people who belong to the same Tribe, but you won’t know until you ask questions and get to know them better.
4. Get out of the House – Just get moving and go to where you are most likely to find your Tribe, people you can connect with and who are willing to connect with you. This could be an art show, a museum, a sporting event, a church luncheon, a bus trip, or any other gathering of people. You won’t find your Tribe sitting on the couch, unless…you go online.
5. Go Online – Connect with people on the popular networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and the specialty groups in Ning. Just like in the offline world, ask questions and get to know people. Share your interests and see who connects with you and who you can connect with. Build these relationships online, and then see if they can be moved to offline. Start slow and take your time.
6. Volunteer - Volunteer to give a talk or presentation about a subject you are passionate about to local community groups, special interests groups, PTA/PTO’s. Take the opportunity to see if you connect with the members and if the members connect with you.
7. Join a Group – Seek out local groups and organizations that seem to share similar interests and values. These can be small business groups, artist co-ops, environmental groups, church groups, etc. take you time and get to know people. You won’t connect with everyone who belongs and not everyone will connect with you, but by putting yourself in the same place as others who share similar interests raises your chances of finding your Tribe members.
8. Start a Group – Starting your own group online and off is easy with services like Meetup.com and Ning. (Ning is no longer free as of this month, but it still may be an option.)
9. Travel – Pack you bags and leave home, at least for a little while. Attend workshops, seminars, conferences and expos created around topics you are interested in. This is one of the fastest and easiest ways to connect with people. More than likely you are all looking to find your Tribe and what better place to look is a gathering of people with similar interests, values and beliefs. You are not always going to find your Tribe in your own back yard.
10. Pack-up and move – I know this sounds radical and might not be a realistic option for everyone, but it is still a viable choice. Not all of ‘fit’ in the environment or geographic location we grown up in or settled in. Sometimes we have to get up and move to find our Tribe. If you love to act and your local community doesn’t have a drama club or playhouse group, you have a choice – you can stick around and try to find your Tribe and build this community or go find it.

How many other ways can you think of to find your Tribe? Which one(s) will you take action on this week?

Related article of interest: Seth Godin’s Tribe Building Tactics: http://www.squidoo.com/tribebuilding