Why Is it Important to be a part of a Sisterhood Community?
In this post, I'll discuss with you the importance of being a part of a sisterhood or an online community like the Big Sisters Club, how connecting with other young women for a multitude of different reasons is beneficial, and why you should make it a priority especially given everything going on right now.
1) Grow your network and contacts
First things first, you're able to network and grow your contacts. As a young woman, it's important to start growing your network and getting to know others on a similar path as you.
Here at Big Sisters Club, we have quite a wide range of different women. They have various backgrounds, upbringings, career aspirations, ethnicities, personality types, and more. You'll never know who you know can help or who can help you as you're networking and constantly meeting new people. It’s through networking opportunities that I’ve been able to make some of my best connections and new friends!
2) Receive Support from a Group of Like-minded Women
Another reason for joining a woman-focused membership community is that it puts you in a place where you're surrounded by a supportive group of driven women.
Many times when we're trying to execute certain actions for ourselves whether it's making new adult friends, starting your own business, beginning on a new career path, or just simply putting yourself out there, can bring up feelings of being overwhelmed, burnt out, or lonely. A supportive community can help you overcome these feelings and create a space for you to ask for help with what you're going through.
Given that we are in this pandemic and everything has gone virtual, there are more opportunities to connect with people from places that you probably wouldn't have considered pre-covid because you never thought to go outside of your city or didn't know the right people to connect with living in another region or country.
I'm glad we've been able to have events where we have people tuning in from across North America and blog posts being read by women all over the world. When I initially conceived the idea of Big Sisters Club, I thought it was just going to be in-person events and only my blog would be available online. I thought of it as a physical community space here in Toronto we have pop-up shops, masterclasses, workshops, events, conferences, and event "hang-out" nights. The covid situation has expanded that!
It's already been proven within the small community we've built so far that it's beneficial to be a part of this Sisterhood Community because you are around people that are willing to support you and want to see you win.
You'll be surprised to know how many people want to help you - they just don't know you need support.
You can ask questions to the group about improving time management skills, practicing self-care, or launching your beauty brand by simply asking “what are your thoughts?”, you'll get meaningful responses and hear from others that went through the same thing or can share their knowledge.
This can be more effective than asking in a general, open platform like Twitter or Facebook to any and everybody or only sharing it with close friends and family that may have their own limiting beliefs and differing goals. A supportive group will take you further than trying to figure out everything on your own.
3) Build a Sense of Accountability
It's important to have a community as it does build a sense of accountability. Whether you communicate your goals, what you want in this life, what you're going after, what you're passionate about, or what you want to try differently, because we care, we're going to check in and hold you accountable.
Check-ins may sound like, "Hey, how's that course going that you said you were going to start? How's your business going? Do you need any help? Were you able to grow your team? How did your interview process go? I know you were looking for a new position and you had some questions about how to prepare for the interview - how did it go?
There's some sort of accountability piece when you choose to share your goals and share your plans with other women that have a similar mindset as you - so it goes both ways.
I'll speak for myself and say that there have been many times where I would set a goal or set some sort of plan and it was all mental and sometimes I wrote them down. I would accomplish some and let go of others. I didn't have anyone there to push me along when I wanted to give up.
Let’s say you make a goal and say "I'm going to get up and go for a run 3 times this week at 8:00 am". If you only make it with yourself, the chances of you waking up the next morning deciding to not go are much higher than if you have shared this goal with someone else.
By having an accountability partner or a group willing to push you along and hold you accountable, they're going to ask "hey, did you run today?”, you’ll likely have to say no and explain why you didn't go. An accountability partner is helpful to push you, empower you to not give up, and help you achieve your goals.
4) Exchange of Experiences and Belonging
Another good reason for being a part of a Sisterhood Community is you're able to just have a good time, talk with other women, and share your stories and experiences. It can be so therapeutic and helpful when you can discuss your current or past challenges with women that WANT to understand you.
Even if they can't relate to the exact situation, you can feel comfortable in a space to speak freely regardless of what you're sharing. That in itself can be very healthy for you in terms of communicating your issues and what you're going through instead of bottling it up all inside. I know this all too well…
In my personal experience and during the discussions at Big Sisters Club events, there have been multiple times where a woman will speak out about a situation where she feels alone and then we’d have two or three other women that chime in and say, "oh my goodness, I've been through the exact same thing". There's a sense of belonging that takes place because we are now discussing a topic many can relate to.
When you share with your community of women, we are looking to uplift you and want to see you do better for yourself and improve, that's where you truly realize that you can foster relationships with the women in your community and call it home because these women support and care about your and your wellbeing.
These are a few of the many reasons why it's important to be a part of a community like the Big Sisters Club. Being able to network and make connections, having a supportive group of young women (knowing you have a group of supporters), having accountability partners that care for your goals and check-in, and also having a place of belonging by being able to share your stories and experiences with women that have been through a similar situation and can provide guidance and support or hold a space for you to be yourself expressively.
Subscribe to our community for the latest news of blogs, events, workshops, and exclusives! If there are any other reasons why you think being a part of a Sisterhood Community like the Big Sisters Club has allowed you to feel a sense of belonging or how it has helped you in any way in your life, please let me know down in the comments and share.
I want to continue building this community to help meet the needs of the women who engage and continue growing!
Love your big sister,
Tash🖤