This article is about a word that begins with C, which I believe is the answer to helping a lot of people and doing a world of good.

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But before that, the story of how I avoided certain death:

On the day of the Nepal earthquake (25th April, 2015), I was supposed to be there with my husband. Our flights were booked and we were supposed to be right smack at one of the historical sites, which was badly damaged by the quake.I still shudder at that thought.

When I was watching the news coverage of the disaster on TV, I knew that it could very well have been my husband and me right under the sand and rocks.The only thing that saved us was my husband’s “strange feeling” the night before the trip. We have NEVER changed a flight because of a strange feeling, and this was a first.

He also checked seven weather channels – all of which indicated different weather forecasts for Nepal – something he also never usually did. Clearly, something spoke to him because he proceeded to redirect us to Laos instead, where we watched in shock as the Nepal tragedy unfolded.

On my way back home, it was very clear to me that we had escaped certain death. I asked the universe for what lesson was behind this – because clearly it had kept me safe and alive for a reason. Into my mind popped a question: “What would you do if you had actually lived and survived through that quake?”

Hmm … I started thinking.

• Would I start a foundation? Well, it just wasn’t the right time; I had my priorities elsewhere.
• Would I adopt a charity? Maybe, but I could only give so much and, besides, I didn’t get the feeling that this was the answer.
• Would I get my students to do social outreach? It was a possibility but, once again, it didn’t seem to be it.

A little frustrated, I decided to flip open the International Herald Tribune where I read about how Israel, China and India were sending their troops with food and supplies to Nepal.

Then the “C” word popped into my mind.

COMMUNITY!


Together, we can do more. Together, we can make an impact like no other. I thought back to friends who were trying to make a difference on their own with their small charities. They were struggling because there was so much work to do, and limited time and resources.

What if I could connect them with each other so they had a community where they could pool resources, encourage each other, learn and grow. Maybe THAT was the way I could contribute.

After all, I had always been able to gather people together effortlessly. THIS was going to be the way I gave back. I didn't have to do the groundwork to make a difference; I could simply help those who were already doing this work - and help them take their efforts to the next level.

My mind started racing with ideas.

I could start an international community of people doing social outreach work. I just needed to reach out to people, and have them network and pool resources together. It was definitely within reach.

And, little by little, this COMMUNITY idea has begun to permeate through my work.I am taking steps to growing the idea of a social outreach community ... and I've turned my coaching sessions into a community on social media where students can post what they’ve learned, record growth and encourage each other.

My students have even taken these connections off-line, meeting up regularly to chat and help each other.

I truly believe that community is the next step if we desire to do good on a large scale. We can do it on our own, but there's only so much we can do in 24 hours. But together, we can make a real impact. Building a community is the answer.

Allow yourself to ponder the following:

1. How can you create a community around your business?

2. Who would be some people you could reach out to - people with the same values and vision as you?

3. What is a bigger mission you want to achieve together?

4. What is the fist step you can take?

5. What could possibly come up to stop you from realizing it and how can you overcome it?

Together, we are better.

Live fearlessly,

Yana

Visit Yana Fry Coaching page to find out more about Yana's work.

_{This post was first published on Yana Fry blog and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author.
Edited by Nedda Chaplin}

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