Have you ever felt like you’re losing your edge?
That you are a bit, well, invisible?
Like you’ve spent so much time fitting in & blending in with everyone else that you’ve started to soften around the edges?
If so, it’s time to think about building your own tribe—one that lets you stay sharp and keep your SNAP! intact.
The Power of a Tribe: A tribe isn’t just a group of people. It’s a community that supports you, encourages you, and pushes you to be your best.
A tribe isn’t a group of people who buy from you. If you think building your tribe is all about making money, then you are already approaching it completely wrong.
A tribe isn’t a manufactured community of people who are paying you to be in it. That’s an audience. An audience who are choosing to (or feel they have to) pay you in order to be a part of it. It’s false. It’s not based on truth, values, ethics or credibility, it’s based on cold, hard cash.
A true tribe is based on your personal brand. It’s a place where you can be yourself, without the fear of being watered down by outside influences. Your tribe should reflect your values, beliefs, and goals—not someone else’s. Where you build that tribe is up to you – but you need to build it, and you need to do it now.
Avoiding Soggy Biscuit Syndrome: Picture this: you dip a biscuit into your tea. Before you do so, it’s very clear what the biscuit is. A custard cream, a bourbon, a rich tea, a chocolate hob nob, a ginger nut. The identity of the biscuit is clearly defined, and you choose that biscuit based on how you feel about it. If a fig newton is your thing, fill your boots!
But, as soon as you leave it in too long, it turns into a mushy mess. It’s indistinct. It has no clear identity. It all looks the same at the bottom of the mug.
The same goes for us. When we linger too long in situations that don’t suit us, we lose our crispness, our edge. We become soggy biscuits.
It’s easy to let others influence us. Sometimes, it’s subtle—a suggestion here, a comment there. Over time, these little things can start to wear us down. We end up doing things that don’t align with who we are, simply because it’s what others expect.
But here’s the thing: your tribe isn’t about fitting in with everyone else.
It’s about finding people who love your crunch, who want you to stay sharp, and who won’t let you go soggy.
How to Build Your Tribe:
- Know Yourself: Before you can find your tribe, you need to know who you are. What do you stand for? What do you believe in? What kind of people do you want around you?
- Be Selective: Not everyone belongs in your tribe, and that’s okay. Look for people who add to your life, not those who drain your energy.
- Set Boundaries: Protect your SNAP! by setting boundaries. If someone tries to change who you are or dull your edge, they don’t belong in your tribe.
- Stay True: Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Your tribe should love you for who you are, not who they want you to be.
Hey, I’m not writing this from a position of always being the crisp biscuit, believe me. I’ve fallen foul of thinking people are in my tribe, when they are actually more interested in building their own. When they insist on a manufactured tribe being a show of popularity & value. When it is really something very, very different.
I’ve put trust in relationships that turn sour because they have challenged my values, my ethics, & my own sense of worth.
It is scary to step away from those situations when you realise that they are simply toxic – just downright nasty & taking you away from who you want to be. The first step is hard. The second less so, and by the time you are taking the third, you won’t be looking back. Trust me.
Building your own tribe takes time, but it’s worth it.
Surround yourself with people who let you be you—sharp, crisp, and full of SNAP!
Remember, life’s too short to be a soggy biscuit.