YesTribe Weekly: Birthday suit

It’s birthday week guys!! Five years of growth and bonding, and of course five years of saying that little three letter word. Just look how far we’ve come together!

This week I think everyone is mentally suited up to celebrate the 5th birthday of The YesTribe – whether you say it, think it or show it, I’m pretty sure we’re all wishing a happy birthday to the YesTribe with the feeling of gladness and appreciation in our hearts that this group exists.

The ‘19 strangers meeting under a clock’ moment is what captures my excitement every single time I hear it. When I first heard it, I thought it sounded so wonderfully adventurous, like the start of an exciting story…and of course, it totally was.

Imagine where we’d all be if Dave had decided to get out of the city on his own that weekend, or even worse – if the poor guy was left stood under the clock alone! Heartbreaking thought! Although, I believe he would have found another way to find us… 

Dave summed up this group so perfectly with his words on Friday and a couple of phrases he used really stood out for me from two different angles…

We all have an impact

The ripples of life

“Everyone in the YesTribe finds themselves as a ripple”

These words from Dave were very poetic I must say! The ripple effect is one of my favourite terms; when one person does one thing, it affects someone or something. In this case, you. All of you. 

This tribe started with one person, Dave, who threw an invite out into the universe where 19 people responded, then 25, 50…and so the ripple began. Fast-forward 5 years and it’s 13’000 and still growing – that’s a ripple into a wave!

Each one of you who has posted or commented in the tribe, offered thoughts or ideas, joined virtual or real-life events – you have sent a ripple out to at least one person, and I bet most often it has been more than just the one. Don’t ever think that you don’t have an impact!

A YesTribe group stand up paddle boarding down the Thames in 2015

We float your boat!

“Put up your sail, and we’ll be your tailwind”

As I’ve mentioned before, it can be real tough to step up and speak out in a large group, or even in a small one! So when you think of this phrase it just speaks volumes for what this group does for people.

You can put up your sail, however small you think it is and however calm you think the winds of possibility may be, and I will bet you that people in this tribe will start blowing it for you. 

With efforts to avoid a sing-song of ‘Wind Beneath Your Wings’ I guess what I’m trying to say is that when you want to say ‘yes’ to something and don’t feel you have the strength, skill, or confidence, we will be there to push you on your dreamy little way with words of encouragement, helpful ideas, and a ship full of positivity. There’s no pressure – just a kind and gentle push – and no expectations other than for you to feel supported, that your dreams feel possible, and to believe that your goals are within reach. 

So why not think about lining up all your little boats on that list we all know you have, and picking one to set sail in – because how nice it is to finally feel the boat set sail, believe me…

YesTribe Weekly: Wonderfully Wild

I often think I should keep my silly side a little on the down-low when in the company of others such as, you know, 13’000 people on social media...but it seems I have nothing to fear, going by some of the things I see shared among this group!

We had a marvellous moment this week of watching one of our members attempt to get into her hammock…and fail several times. It even made the news! Shameless, full of joy, and completely relentless – Geraldine and her hammock brought a lot of laughs for sure!

We also had someone share their ‘culinary adventure’ of peanut butter and quiche on toast…yes, you did read that right! Now I’m not sure if Jen meant her breakfast to be so silly, in fact she took it quite seriously! However, the reactions which ensued were again of laughter.

The elephant in the room

This week we had a very random request within the group; “Does anyone own an elephant costume I can borrow?!”

Who would have an elephant costume?! Well, it may have been a random request , but the lovely Esther explained that she plans to do a 100-mile walk to raise money for elephants in Thailand...dressed as an elephant! She’s definitely one of us!

Being the helpful souls that you are, the tribe stepped up with suggestions of how to make your own elephant costume. Why on earth you lot have got the knowledge, and possible experience, of dressing up as an elephant I don’t know…but my god did it make me feel at home amongst you! There was even someone who offered up their flamingo costume or zebra suit – definitely a costume enthusiast! My conclusion? You’re all as wild as each other!! Or should I say WE are all as wild as each other.

I like to dress up too sometimes, no judgement right?

Our kind of crazy

In reference to the elephant costume request, one member wrote this week;

 “One of the many things I love about this group is not only do people think doing stuff like this is totally normal…there's usually more than one person who has already done something similar.”

This couldn’t be closer to the truth. Although I’m not sure many, if any, found Jen’s quiche and peanut butter on toast normal…! You never know, some of you may even be trying out this new breakfast idea!

The truth is; being that little bit wild is normal – I truly believe that everyone has their own secret wild side and although we love to share ours with each other, others may feel more comfortable keeping it behind closed doors (dancing in front of the mirror for example...not me of course!).

So, when you enter a room of people you may feel like keeping cool calm and collected, but always know that when you enter our room full of ‘yes’ people, you have nothing to hide - we’re all a little crazy here.

YesTribe Weekly: Vibe on the Tribe

In the past week I’ve been browsing daily over our little (big..) tribe (gang..) and noticed several new people joining and introducing themselves for the first time, which is pretty great! Stepping up and saying hello to thousands of strangers, while looking for ‘yes’ and inspiration!

And in true Yes Tribe style, you’ve all been so welcoming – throwing out positivity like free hugs after lockdown. 

One of the questions put forward by a new member was; “What have you said ‘yes’ to recently?”

Now, an old version of me would have initially thought that I’ve got nothing good enough to mention that I’ve said yes to, and I’d tell myself that I’m not that exciting…but you don’t have to have been on a big adventure or done something spectacular – today I did yoga and ate cookies!

Whatever you say yes to also does not have to be some grand experience. It can be absolutely anything, big or small. On one of my many lists I have written two tiny things; Learn to do a French braid, and learn to make an origami boat. So I’ve since made a few pretty little boats and my hair’s been a bloody mess!

Lurking on the tribe!

When I joined the Yes Tribe, I was a ‘lurker’ for a while…okay I was actually lurking for a few years! I was one of the people who didn’t like to expose myself on the group – it can make you feel vulnerable, right? So I just sat back and watched everyone else posting, and you know what? That’s fine. We’re all about inspiring.

Although I didn’t show myself for so long, the group still did me a world of good just by being there – anyone can take what they need from this group, but know that you will always be welcomed warmly if you step forward to say hello (warning: you might get encouraged to say yes to something!).

Art attack

Something else I’ve seen this week is that you lot have also been getting pretty creative lately, and I love a little art to make my eyes happy! I think art and creativity have been a kind of therapy for many people recently.

Some do art on the regular and some are just trying something new – you’ve been painting some gorgeous images and landscapes, making gem jewellery, someone made an awesome clock out of sticks, and one guy painted some pebbles as pretty realistic strawberries. As rocks go they looked delicious. 

I’d say it’s a pretty brave thing to share your own personal art to literally thousands of people! What’s even nicer, is when people from those thousands come forward and appreciate it, encourage it and welcome it, which is what this tribe is really all about – you do you, and man, are you loved for it. 

There have been some words in the group this week which have been mentioned several times; positivity, inspiration, and sharing. I think it’s safe to say that those themes are pretty constant here in general. 

Whenever someone shares something, it’s providing inspiration for all who need it. You never know – your one post could spark something in just one person amongst those thousands, which would be amazing, right? A little yes can go a long way.

• Join the YesTribe on Facebook