YesTribe Weekly: Inside Out

Some of you shared some photos of a real need to bring the outdoors indoors this week – we saw some very clever little setups of miniature toy people travelling about in some home-made ‘outdoor’ settings! Bringing those places we can’t get to closer to home, and on an entirely different scale! 

I naturally love the outdoors and I can feel a little claustrophobic if the natural lighting is low indoors during the day – my mum thinks I’m a little strange for constantly turning the lights on when it’s ‘not even dark’, and my partner battles with the fact that I MUST have the curtains open first thing in the morning until the very last trickle of light has disappeared at night! I think a lot of people need to have the connection to the outdoors and nature to feel better in their mental state, and it’s pretty clear that many of you do too. 

Sitting in the conservatory, looking out to the garden and the grey skies, listening to the rain on the roof – I came here to enjoy the outside, inside, while I write. Despite the dull yet natural light and the ‘miserable’ weather, I find it very refreshing! 

After reading over some of my notes from this week’s YesTribe posts, I got the vibe that many of you are craving that same ‘refreshing’ feeling…

It’s all in your head

There has been a lot of talk amongst us this week of questioning your current path or finding/creating a new one. 

One lady opened up to the group about the fact that she has decided to build her own business, and the sense of achievement she felt just from making that decision. 

Alison’s post (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10159408341934179&set=gm.1466002960249794) showed that by simply shifting your mindset from, “I’d love to do that” to, “I am going to do this”, makes a big difference in how you feel, and is the first simple step to getting you started on that path you’ve always wanted to walk down. As Alison said – you will feel you have achieved something just by changing something in your head.

Many of us are looking for new horizons

Another member also spoke about how she’d been questioning her path for months, before finally taking the first step in making a change. In Alessandra’s post she shared her belief that doing what you love can pave the way for everything else, but that we can also often face difficulties when trying to follow our hearts.

I can relate to this completely. Feeling stuck in no-man’s land when it comes to what is priority and what is important to you personally, finding the balance, and often thinking you’re the only one who feels stuck, while everyone else appears to know exactly what path they’re on and are confidently skipping down it while you’re still trying to figure out which way up the map is!

What is it they say? One day, or day one…you decide. We all have ideas and dreams in our heads – if you followed your head and your heart, where would you go? What would you do? What is possible? You may think all this stuff needs or deserves to be on the back burner when actually, if you combed through all your piles of lists and ideas, you may find something that is indeed possible.

Adventurous souls

I think we can all agree that we all have a little soft spot for adventure…okay a massive soft spot! Maybe even a little obsession?!

You guys have had a big case of itchy feet recently and have been trying to incorporate adventure into your everyday lives, which is undoubtedly a great way to be! I think it’s safe to say we all need it right now.

One lovely lady has set herself a mission of having ‘an adventure a day’ – sometimes this means walking barefoot in the rain, sometimes it means having a little self-made spa day at home! Ola’s daily acts have been reminding us that adventures come in all shapes and sizes. 

Another lady put her life in your hands by asking for your adventure ideas to throw in a hat, from which she would randomly pick a couple to go ahead with! We also had someone asking for some suggestions on how to shake things up a bit when feeling stuck in a rut trying to keep things adventurous with her 2-year-old.

You see, we all have that need for adventure in what becomes everyday life, and sometimes we need a little help in keeping the dust off our souls – something to keep life exciting and keep us on our toes! 

Incredible beach art

We had an incredible photo from one of our members this week who had managed to create a giant pattern in the sand on a beach…using just a rake and some rope!! I was amazed at what he’d done, and it did make me think; if this man can go out for a stroll and make a piece of art like that with just some basic things from the back of the shed, then I think we can all make something beautiful with what we have.

YesTribe Quiz Questions

Everyone loves a pub quiz - what an awesome way to have a laugh with your friends, family and colleagues over a video call and who knows - you might even learn something! But maybe you’ve never put one together or written the questions before. Seems like too much work, right?!

Well Quizmasters, have no fear! YesTribe Hampshire Leader Gilo Ward has done all the hard work for you - click on the links below to download question and answer sheets for a mixture of games nights.

Each week during lockdown Gilo has been writing a different set of questions so once you’ve done one set, come back and there’ll be more the following week. There’s all sorts in there from True or False, General Knowledge, Music Rounds, even Who Wants To Be A Millionaire!

Enjoy and why not post on The YesTribe wall with a photo and how you got on :)

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.

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