Stranded and Alone? Who’s Your Support Group?
A beautiful day… one so beautiful we decide to hop on the bikes and go for a nice long ride. So off we go… downhill, uphill :(, and a lot of leisurely routes too.
Two and a half hours later we find ourselves at a park with green grass, tall shady trees, and a very peaceful atmosphere. What a great place to hang out for a bit, take a break and unwind… so we did. Absolutely wonderful!
After our break we're back on the bikes and starting our hour-long journey home… when suddenly Pat's bike felt quite strange to him. His back tire was completely flat! Well, we couldn't go on like that, so we had to call for support. We called one of our sons to get the vehicle with the bike rack and then pick us up.
We got home safely and quite easily… but if we didn't have support, it would have been a different story. Could we have gotten home without our son's help? Yes, but it would have been a lot more difficult, and took a lot longer.
The same applies to the online world.
You can get so much more accomplished, and get to where you want to be quicker and easier, with support from others. Yes, you could get it figured out on your own, generate your own traffic and prospects, but it would be a lot more difficult and take a lot longer than if you had the support of others.
That's why building mutually beneficial relationships and becoming part of an online community are so very important to your success. What is an online community? Basically, it's a place where people can ask for and get help and support, learn how to do things online, have a place to be heard and share their knowledge, as well as increase their ability to generate traffic and prospects.
We know many of you belong to an online tribe, which is like a “mini-community”… a place where people join together to support each other in generating more traffic to each others' sites. And of course, like on other social sites, you have a great opportunity to develop some great relationships as well.
In all aspects of life, the online world included, having support and good relationships is so very important. “We are not alone”… and nor should we be.
Pat & Lorna Shanks
2010-07-25 @ 1:46 pm
Hello,
We love being part of a community… it provides a place for sharing and relationships.
Leave a comment and let us know if you feel this applies online… and what you see an online community offering its members.
Thanks,
~ Pat and Lorna
Lisa Larter
2010-07-25 @ 2:53 pm
Great article, which completely illustrates the need for support in all that we do.
It is funny, I just had this conversation this morning with a friend of my husbands before they left for golf except it pertained to women and networking.
We discussed how guys easily network and step up to help each other all the time without any fear, they just know that the support will be given back. I think that sometimes, there are lessons of support to be learned from women when it comes to business.
We need to support each other in more than just our personal lives. Women are becoming huge business champions and the potential to do even greater things together is dependent on our ability to ask for and give support.
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-27 @ 7:07 pm
Lisa,
Yes, support is something we all need… and yes, so many people have such a hard time asking for support. Strangely enough, it seems more people are willing to give support rather than ask for it. Although we sure didn’t hesitate when we were out there with a flat tire 🙂
Thanks,
~ Pat and Lorna
Joseph McDevitt
2010-07-26 @ 10:25 am
Pat and Lorna. Great post! I like the way you used the stranded an alone story to parallel getting support online. I voted for Tribes, I am a TSA tribe member and I love the support that being part of this community offers! It truly is powerful when like minded individuals team up together to support each other and share in a common goal. Thanks for the truly useful information! Joseph McDevitt
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-27 @ 9:15 pm
Joseph,
Thanks for voting! And we agree with you… we greatly appreciate the support we get from all our tribe members in the TSA group. It is amazing what can be accomplished when so many generous and giving people work together.
~ Pat and Lorna
Joe Malinowski
2010-07-26 @ 2:33 pm
Thanks for sharing this. I hope the message get out there, I will help as much as possible.
We don’t know what we don’t know. The only way we can stay on top of things is pluging into others. Leaders like yourself and other are so filled with quality info, but we will never get any of it if we do not seek or ask.
TSA has been awesome for me and I look forward to seeing you future successes as well.
Have a spectacular day!
Joe
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-27 @ 9:19 pm
Joe,
Your willingness to help is so very genuine and generous… one that we’re sure you’ll follow through on with your fellow TSA members. Asking for help is critical in us achieving success in life… we can’t do it alone.
Thanks so much,
~ Pat and Lorna
Nicole Rushin
2010-07-26 @ 6:16 pm
So, what you are saying is that if I am out riding my bike and get a flat tire I can call anybody in TSA and they will come and pick me up? That is amazing! TSA just keeps getting better and better. I think I will throw my can of fix o’ flat away. I don’t need that anymore. LOL! I totally get what you are saying. Anytime I am really stumped on something I usually post a message on the TSA page and somebody helps me out. It is great to have this on-line support group.
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-27 @ 9:22 pm
Nicole,
Good one!!! 🙂
We agree… it is way cool how everyone jumps to the assistance of those who ask for help… a true support group!
Thanks,
~ Pat and Lorna
Val Wilcox
2010-07-26 @ 9:18 pm
Pat & Lorna,
A community of support and encouragement is so important in every aspect of our lives. Concerning online businesses, not only helping to spread the word, but being there with tips and shares of knowledge.
I wouldn’t have accomplished what I have in such a short time span without the assistance of a great group of Go-Givers. A true Tribe has all these components in place.
Val 🙂
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-27 @ 9:24 pm
Val,
Ain’t that the truth!
Thanks,
~ Pat and Lorna
Matthew Neer
2010-07-27 @ 2:11 am
Great post my friends, I really enjoyed it and I thought that super sneaky survey you slipped in there was even cooler as well. Good stuff y’all, good stuff!
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-27 @ 9:26 pm
Matthew,
So glad you enjoyed the post… and the survey 🙂
Thanks so much,
~ Pat and Lorna
Joanna Sayers
2010-07-27 @ 4:42 am
Loved the construction of this post – the story at the beginning led nicely into the theme whilst providing interaction via the online poll. Well done! The web is a great place to feel part of a team and receive the help we need when things don’t go so well. Twitter has been a great source of information and I’ve got the founder of Feedblitz.com helping me out with an issues my site currently has with RSS … how else would I have an opportunity to discuss feeds with someone like this! The TSA is a remarkable group too, offering help and advice on such a vast array of topics.
Here’s to our continued learning and support of others!
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-27 @ 9:30 pm
Joanna,
Thank you so much.
You are so right… the amazing support and help we can find on the web is so, so very helpful and gives us way more opportunities to succeed than if we had to do it all ourselves.
And TSA exemplifies that level of support and help.
~ Pat and Lorna
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-27 @ 7:01 pm
Yorinda,
Thanks! And it’s so cool to have met you through TSA… and to be able to share and support.
~ Pat and Lorna
Lynn Glaser
2010-07-28 @ 12:31 am
Hi Pat and Lorna,
Support in our industry is very important, especially as most of us work from home and on our own,the Tribe concept is brilliant for this sort of thing. We’ve had a boom in traffic to our website from the TSA Tribe since we’ve been a part of it and met a lot of great people. Thanks guys for your continued support 🙂
Cheers,
Lynn
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-30 @ 11:19 am
Lynn,
We so know what you mean about the traffic boom! It’s great to know that we have support from the great people in TSA… as well as meeting very cool people such as you and Justin.
Thank you for your support…
~ Pat and Lorna
Nelson
2010-07-28 @ 5:55 pm
Super analogy with the flat tire and the call for help. We never achieve success without the help of others. Reading this after coming back from vacation and not publishing this week give me the idea to repost an article I wrote a while back about Charles Plumb. It goes well with this post..
http://dirtnaponhold.com/who-is-packing-your-parachute/
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-30 @ 12:16 pm
Nelson,
Thanks!! We read your article and watched the video of “who is packing your parachute”… an amazing story. It makes us think of all those who have helped us that we don’t really notice or acknowledge. In everything we do, there is someone who has helped us get there.
Hope your vacation was totally cool!!
~ Pat and Lorna
rebeccahappy
2010-07-29 @ 10:47 am
Online/offline I totally believe that community is the best way to create the life, world dreams we want. Not only do they get done sometimes faster the cocreative aspect of it allows for a bigger or better version of what one person could have done all alone.
I remember playing cash flow 101 at a reals estate seminar…those that joint ventured finished the game faster. My 11 yr old caught onto that very quickly and it peeved some of the newbie old adults but upon discussion with the advanced players who finished the game in 20 min that is exactly what they did….they also apply this to the way they lead their lives. This was a huge insight for me as it came from those already established in achieving what they were building.
The whole notion of the TSA group is founded on the concepts you touch on in your story…that is what I like about it. Yes..it can be a lot easier for some to offer than to ask. I wonder why we still get hung up on it.
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-30 @ 12:25 pm
Rebecca,
It IS amazing how much farther and faster we can go when we are supported by others. And it’s so cool that your 11 yr old could figure that out so quickly… kids are quite perceptive and adaptive.
Perhaps people get hung up on asking for help because all our lives we’re told “giving is better than receiving”… and no one teaches us or demonstrates how to be a great receiver… something that is so very important.
Thanks,
~ Pat and Lorna
Michael Berry
2010-07-30 @ 4:54 pm
I loved your analogy from your bike trip. Support is so important in our journey. And yes TSA is a tremendous support vehicle. I’ve learned so much about the social media from people in the TSA. It’s been great.
Michael
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-31 @ 10:22 am
Michael,
We feel like you as well… TSA has been great for support and meeting wonderful people. And… it’s been fun too!
Thanks,
~Pat and Lorna
Scott Pollov
2010-07-30 @ 7:21 pm
Pat and Lorna. What a great post. Community – online and offline – is a critical component for happiness, fulfillment and success. Professionally, I have always found it important to build and connect with a large and diverse network of people who were each invested in the others success.
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-31 @ 10:25 am
Scott,
We find the similarities between our lives offline and online to be quite amazing… life is totally about community and connection with others. You’ve said it so well… thanks!
~ Pat and Lorna
Kevin M.
2010-07-31 @ 8:14 am
“In all aspects of life, the online world included, having support and good relationships is so very important. “We are not alone”… and nor should we be.”
This really resonated with me. This past week was one of the toughest week of my life and I know I couldn’t have made it through without all the support that I have received offline and online.
Pat & Lorna
2010-07-31 @ 10:28 am
Kevin,
We understand how difficult this past week has been for you… it is a blessing that people not only support others in attaining success in their lives, but to get through the rough times as well.
Keeping you in our thoughts…
~ Pat and Lorna