Creating True Belonging
When you know and respect your inner nature, you know where you belong.
— Benjamin Hoff
Belonging is a primal, innate human yearning — it drives our urge to create social connections, develop relationships, and form communities.
In our homes, in our workplaces, in our networks both local and global — the quality of our interactions in these communities boils down to a fundamental truth: True connection with others begins with having a deep and clear connection with yourself.
A real, lasting sense of belonging to something outside of ourselves requires us to hold true to what we believe in, to have clear convictions about our values, and more importantly, it requires us to have a deep level of self-acceptance. Without this inner sense of belonging, we’re at risk of conforming and trying to ‘fit in’ with someone or some group’s ideas and values. ‘Fitting in’ can never compete with true belonging, and will always leave us feeling unsatisfied.
Holding true to your unique authenticity while aligning and forming bonds with other unique and authentic people — that coming together of strong, whole individuals — is the pathway to healthy, diverse communities where people feel safe to evolve.
At Kismet, we believe the best companies are the ones that foster this kind of healthy community. We’d love to work with you to develop your own self-acceptance as a tool for becoming a better executive leader. Get started today with the list of questions below.
Ask yourself these self-acceptance coaching questions:
In what ways have you learned to accept yourself? How has this benefited you and the people around you?
In what ways do you want to accept yourself more? Why is that important?
Think of someone in your professional life that you struggle with or have trouble tolerating. What aspect of their personality do you get the most irritated by? Is there some correlation (even if it’s a small one) between this quality in them and the qualities in yourself that you have trouble accepting?
What efforts can you make to increase belonging in your professional life? What positive outcome would this have on your professional community (your team and organization)?
What efforts can you make to increase belonging in your personal life? What positive outcome would this have on your loved ones and your community?
Kristine Steinberg is the CEO of Kismet. She believes that your life should be deeply fulfilling — not tolerated. Partner with Kismet to dismantle fear, define your path, and lead with courage. Start your transformation today.