A Christmas Eve tradition at my house is to watch Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring the incomparable Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. Have you seen it? It’s one of my all-time movie faves!
If you’ve ever wondered if your life holds meaning, wonder no more once you’re on the other side of this ultimate feel-good film!
George Bailey, played by Stewart, is on the verge of a meltdown. His small building and load company is on the verge of bankruptcy, the mean rich man in town is poised to swoop in, and though George has a house full of adorable kids and a gorgeous wife (Reed), he decides his family and business would be better off without him. On the brink of suicide, he’s saved by a fledgling angel, Clarence.
Clarence goes on to show George what his community of Bedford Falls would be like if he’d never existed. It’s not a pretty sight. By seeing all the people he’s touched, George realizes that he has created a strong network of mutual love and support – he’s created a tribe. And it’s this tribe that pulls together at the end of the movie to give back to George, helping him out of his current difficulties.
In George’s case, his tribe quite literally saved his life. He had accumulated social equity by building a business that added value and increase to the lives of others and through nurturing a loyal community of friends, fans and followers.
Had he been out to make a quick buck, would the community have rallied to defend and lend a helping hand when the going got rough? I think not.
There are all sorts of things that can happen along your entrepreneurial journey but, if you have friends like George’s, you’ll have a whole team of folks on your side. Marie Forleo calls this having a “power posse” and I can tell you that my business girlfriends have rallied to talk me off the ledge of fear and self-doubt; given priceless feedback when dealing with copycats; shared their own experiences to boost my believability and so much more!
When you are surrounded by people who truly care about you and what you’re working to create it’s like having an insurance policy for success. Pretty hard to fail once you have this I might add!
If you haven’t seen the movie I must point out that the social equity George had accumulated was the result of being a good guy, doing the right thing at the right time, not worrying about what was in it for him, truly caring and giving without expecting anything in return.
He didn’t build his community by selling info-crap or spamming. He did it the old fashioned way: By caring. I call it giving your way to success – an age old approach to business that I hope never goes out of style.
Wishing you the Merriest Christmas ever!
~ Gina
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P.S. Want to be part of the Rebel’preneurs on the Rise power posse in the New Year? Get on the Rebels-in-Waiting list to be among the first to learn about the ways we can reach new stratospheres of success together in 2012!
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