ExamineHealth

When you participate in an event or a social group, what are you bringing to the table?  Many people simply show up, hang out in the background, or dabble in small talk with others in the group - pandering around obvious bits and bites or gossiping about the latest happenings.  While time-consuming, these things are rarely productive or add anything to the events in progress.

Different personalities have different things to offer at each juncture and for each situation.  Some people provide leadership to the group, helping to organize activities or plan for curve balls that might throw the entire event into jeopardy.   Some provide humor, the class clown of the group helps to keep energy and spirits high, this goes a long way toward a successful gathering and positive attitudes help to shape the direction and outcome of the group at large.  Others provide deep introspection, assuring that the interactions are meaningful and powerful - this can be helpful for garnering value.  Healthy competition is a factor that bolsters many a group - if there is no one else who can challenge the leaders then imbalance can occur.

What are the archetypes in your social circle?  Can you identify the roles that various people fill?  Analysing the group dynamics can provide fodder for much introspection on the type of people that you choose to surround yourself with as well as how you, yourself fit into the group.  How did you meet the people in your social circle?  What is the basis of your relationship?  Do you spend time with each of them individually, or are some members only around for group events?

Like all things in life, you should strive to provide value in your interactions with your social group.  When you go to work, you are providing value, and you are getting money in return.  Volunteer work asks that you provide value in return for helping others and feeling good about yourself.  You provide value to yourself by eating right and exercising, which in turn rewards you with a healthy body that is capable of performing how you want to perform.  What are some areas of life where you are not providing value?  How could you provide value in those areas?  You have endless value to provide, the world is starving for your contribution, how can you best make it?  How can you best spread your message to those who need to hear it?

Your immediate circle of friends needs your contributions as well.  Friends are often thought of as a guilty pleasure, as a time to relax and not do any work, which is often the case.  However, you do not want to be a sponge.  By providing value to your social network, it will begin to return benefits to you.  By looking at your friends as a part of your larger support base they can offer up help and resources to you in your efforts.  Try being a social hub.  Bring together people from different backgrounds and different lines of thinking.  Create a hearty stew of personalities with you as the common thread.  Foster the connections that are cumulative, the ideas that build upon one another via input from differing points of view.  When managed properly, your social circle can be a think tank that drives progress, both for yourself, and for the others involved.