Last week, we explored the idea of our villages through our latest episode of Lucky to Be Here with Sebastián Vallejo Vera, and his own experience navigating his academic career across countries as part of his family unit. This week (and for the rest of the month), we dive deeper into this discussion to explore the symbiotic relationship between villages and goals.
Pinpointing what comes first between villages and goals is a somewhat futile exercise because, like the chicken and the egg, we are unable to identify it. Who we are and how we see ourselves is, explicitly or implicitly, shaped by who the members of our village are, and it shifts as our village inevitably changes, too. This is where my definition of networking comes back to: networking is building and nurturing a community that expands possibilities. Sometimes we do not consciously realize we are doing it, but we still do.
In fact, because we are often caught in the very “professional” version of networking, we do not realize that our personal villages play a role in our professional lives. Other times, like in moments of family emergencies and caregiving, we are painfully aware that the personal and professional cannot be compartmentalized (for those of you who are interested in hearing about my personal experience on this and how it shaped my business, I spoke on it in a recent interview here).
My parting question for you last week was “How does this village inform what I am interested in (and willing to!) career-wise?” Maybe you realized that your village informs some of your non-negotiables. Maybe you noticed that some of the discomfort you feel with your current job or role comes from a mismatch with what you and your village needs. Maybe you feel aligned with where you are at, and who you share this with.
Today I want to open this space for reflection on what matters to you most, and give yourself permission to honor that through your career exploration. We are usually conditioned (dare I say gaslighted?) into believing that we need to leave our relationships and communities, and even part of ourselves, at the door when we walk into professional environments. But what if there was another way of doing things? What if enough of us work towards a version of our professional fulfillment that speaks to something bigger than a sense of achievement?
We face trade-offs all the time. They are an inevitable part of life. But in examining our villages and our goals, artificially separating them will only cause a sense of inner struggle that makes everything feel heavier as we go. My question for you today is this one:
If you feel that there is a disconnect between your goals and your village, what would make your goals and your village feel less at odds with one another?
If you feel that your goals and your village intertwine in a harmonious way, what is supporting you in that balance today so you can keep building on it over time?
Next week, a new episode of Lucky to Be Here drops where we continue exploring villages, and the importance of them even after decades, with our guest Gisela de la Villa, based in New Zealand.
In the meantime, I look forward to hearing from you, so reply back to share with me what today’s reflection sparked for you, and let’s keep the conversation going.
