Community brings accountability. I often tell people that you're not really in a community if you don't feel a sense of accountability. True community knows who you are. Your friends, your family, your peers in that community know what your ideals are when you're feeling clear. They know what you're capable of and what you're made of. They're familiar with what's right for you, and they're there to push you to live up to your own expectations.
In my own life, I have found that it is far too easy to evade responsibility, to dodge your own greatness, to surround yourself with lukewarm relationships that don't actually know who you are or care about your future. Those relationships aren't pushing you to be great, and it's a shame to see how simple it can be to fall into such transactional relationships without ever fostering a deep connection where you push each other to thrive.
What I advocate for, and what I believe in, is a real community, a live-in community where you coexist with people nearby. They might be a minute away, or perhaps they're your next-door neighbor, but they're there to hold you accountable to being who you say you're going to be. We humans are very adept at avoiding accountability, but it becomes nearly impossible when everyone around you knows that you're not living up to your potential.
Now, it might be uncomfortable when you feel judged for not living up to your expectations, but that fear of judgment is something to be grateful for. It's a motivator, a guiding force that propels you towards betterment.
But choosing the right community is key. If you find a community whose ideals align with your ideal self, you will thrive. You'll level up, and you'll feel driven to meet expectations because you won't want to let people down.
I firmly believe that community is more than just a buzzword. No, a company's customer base or the majority of NFT collections are not real communities. Even some churches, with lukewarm beliefs, can fall short of true community status. You want to be part of a community that stands for something, that expects something from you, that has standards for its members.
For me, contributing to initiatives like Gitcoin, I've seen the power of community. It's beautiful to witness a community holding itself accountable, and I think everyone should strive to be part of such a community.
Everyone of us who wants to be great deserves a community that can lead us all to be the best versions of ourselves.