by Tim Grabowski
Solo no go. Group is the coupe. There is a BIG difference from hearing and seeing a solo artist or a group. When you perform alone you are at the mercy of your own thoughts and feelings. Sometimes a stray thought can lead to a missed note. In life, being alone in your thoughts can lead you to miss thinking. Sometimes we get a thought that is not true. This stinking thinking can separate us from the audience who is watching us. A stray thought can alienate us from friends and family. People think there is something wrong. Many times this turns into people turning away. It causes people to not associate with us. We feel isolated and alone.
With a team we can get input from people who notice things are not working right. Teams give us new ideas. Ideas from other people can affect our lives in a positive ways. They inspire us to new levels. A comment about a good person we should connect with helps us build success. Affirming we are on the right track helps keep us focused on a path that is good for growth. Teams help us win. Choosing to hang around with winning individual makes us winners by association. There is power in groups. A couple is stronger that an individual. Life is better when you have someone to share with. There have always been men and women. Without this coupling there would be no future generation. We long for the time we can hold each other in bed or we can hug and kiss as we pass each other. Life is much more with a partner. I have friends on social networks that are trying daily to find a special person in their life. Relationships are invited. When they have one, sometimes it does not work. I hear of people breaking off relationships for things done in the past. I have done things I am not proud of. Can we live up to the standards we hold others to? I look in the mirror and I can see blemishes. I can still love myself. Loving others with that same intensity is a hard road. There are problems with every road. If the destination is worth the trip the road’s condition does not matter.
Whether it is school, work, or church, groups fill a human need. We hang in groups to socialize and band together. We unite as a group with one spirit. When we socialize emotions flow. We laugh with each other. We hold each other when things are bad. Groups are essential to being a human.
Success in life happens faster and bigger with a team. A group can accomplish much more than an individual can. Groups can steer a person in the right direction. When you are solo it is all about you. The right or wrong is all on your shoulders. In a team the weight of life is spread out over many shoulders. The load is lighter. It is nice being a part of a team. Teams help with the things that hold us back. Teams make life easier. I have an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team. They visit and help me mentally and socially. ACT lets me talk to other people. The team listens and shares the conversation with people who have a stake in my mental health. The team includes a therapists, a nurse, and a doctor. An ACT team is committed to insuring my mental health is good. ACT monitors my medication. Conversations suggest people to team up with in my life. We found a conservator, guardian, and payee who helps me with the other people and the financial stress in life. My conservator is a wise person. She is connected and respected by the whole community.
Right now this help is needed. I have a disability. The life skills other people have don’t come easy to me. There has been a lot of struggle steps in my life. Now I have a team to lean on. The hold me up. Teams are there if I do fall. They are there to comfort me. When the timing is right a team is there to help me back to my feet. Then with one foot in front of the other and I am back on life’s path. There will be bumps in the road. There will also be a path downward to ease the walk. And all this is possible because of a team. What did I do when I was alone? A team effort makes life’s walk more enjoyable. In my life teams work. I would not be in recovery without the team that is there to ease the burden of the load. They help bear some of the weight of living life. Teams work.