One of my core principles that I’m focused on this year is “build the tribe.” To me, this means building the community of people around me. Finding ways to support them and encourage them to be the best versions of themselves.

Many of us are lucky enough to be surrounded by people we like to spend time with. These will likely include friends, family members, etc. Of course, these are folks who are in your tribe and you should take care of them.

At the same time, I’m also challenging myself to think of my tribe in a different way. I’m trying to think of “the tribe” as anyone I have the pleasure of coming across in my life. If you happen to enter my “life radius”, you’re part of my tribe and I’ll do my best to support you.

In a way, this completely changes your outlook on life. You slowly begin to see people as fellow human beings not just strangers, or worse yet, someone out to get something from you. Sure, there’ll be bad apples along the way but they’re rare – most people do mean well. And it’s a sign of emotional maturity when you can see that all of us carry some pain around with us and recognize what’s more important is acknowledging the potential that they have.

So, how can you build your tribe? What small acts can you take everyday to support the people who are in your life?

Something as simple as a quick text message might do to reconnect with someone or find a time for coffee/lunch to chat face-to-face. It can be a random act of kindness for a colleague or a stranger you bump into the line at the coffee shop. The more generous we can be with our tribes, the more we’ll end up getting in return.