Community Over Competition
Have you heard that phrase? Seen that hashtag? There’s a mindset book I like (that I can’t seem to remember the name of) and it talks about having a creative spirit instead of a competitive spirit. And I love that idea, because focusing on creating will get you so much farther than focusing on competing. But it isn’t just a hashtag. It can be one of the core pillars of your business. But what does it all mean?
We aren’t in this alone.
Pretty much no matter what you are doing for your business, you aren’t inventing the wheel. You are standing on the shoulders of others – you have learned from others – others have come before you that have made this path possible for you.
We can lift each other up.
Ok, let’s be clear here. I am NOT telling you to stop charging for your knowledge or your expertise or even your creations. You deserve to be paid. You deserve to be paid well. But there are so many things we can share to help others. Plus, there are so many ways we can support other small businesses that don’t cost anything but a moment of our time.
There’s enough for all of us.
Your success does not prevent mine. Your success isn’t a reason for me to be jealous or greedy – it’s a reason for me to be inspired. Success is not a zero-sum game. It’s not a pie with a limited number of pieces – there is room for all of us to be successful.
Rising tides lift all ships.
I love this saying and this idea that we can all get better together. That what benefits you benefits me and vice versa. There are some amazing discussions going on now in the knitting design world about pay and compensation – and that’s just the sort of thing that is good for all of us that work in that space!
We get more done together.
I always get more done with people than by myself. Yes I’m a “solopreneur” but even just being around other creative folks helps me to be so much more productive – even if those folks are just virtually with me. If you think that being around other creative folks might help you, check out our planning & coworking membership.