The Power Of Community

How surrounding yourself with like-minded people skyrockets success.

Doing things together, with like-minded people, makes things easier.  A collaboration such as the one we have happening in the Cleanse community now, is powerful because it develops and advances a shared vision for the future, one that includes optimal health and its benefits.  And by doing it in the company of hundreds with a similar desire for optimal wellness, the journey becomes one to celebrate. Our Cleanse community is focused on this common purpose, working together over the next weeks and months, towards a greater good.  We are joining together to advance this cause.

I have the learned the lesson of community, the hard way.  Naturally an independent person, I find it difficult to ask for help, even when I need it most.  For example, I once lifted a queen sized mattress above my head and over a railing because I was too impatient to wait for help.  In the process, I tore my rotator cuff in my shoulder. The recovery took two years!  Serves me right.

When building my Eat Clean community, I took a different approach.  Taking a trip back in time, I began to create the Eat Clean sister and brotherhood, when my first articles came out in Oxygen magazine.  Back then Bob Kennedy was still the publisher.  He encouraged me to reach out to each person individually, via email or snail mail, and build a relationship with each.  This was during the time when the internet was just transitioning to widespread use – 2003.  Email by email, handwritten note by handwritten note, I reached out, gave thanks and shared a few words with this brave new community, one interested in finding answers to such questions as, how to remain fit, what to eat, how to train, how to age well and so on.

Over the years the community has grown.  What is most unique about this group is that they are fiercely loyal, want no part of negativity and advocate for each other.  It’s a self-policing group that doesn’t take crap from anyone.  It’s powerful to see this in action, as sometimes will occur in our very public social media spaces. That sentence is worth reading again, because the internet has made it easy to bash others. The Eat Clean community is unique in that it doesn’t suffer from that problem.  Thank you for that.

6 Ways to Benefit from the Eat-Clean Cleanse Community

That is one of the main reasons why I have opted to offer a private Facebook page for all my challenges, including my 4-Week Eat Clean Diet Spring Cleanse.  Here’s how you can benefit from this beautiful community.

1. Collective Wisdom:  When we come together in a common pursuit, we gather varied persons and personalities, talents, abilities and knowledge levels, cultures and ages, all of which are pooled in the bond of community.  Now, instead of one on his or her own, there is a collective wisdom that can be tapped in a time of need. Cleansing is hard work.  We want to hear from veterans and newbies alike. This kind of sharing promotes confidence and success.
2. Support and Belief: The Eat Clean community provides support and the belief in YOU that you can participate, accomplish and celebrate powerful health changing milestones.  Dr. Rachel Corradetti ND., and I provide that within the safety of the group.  We support and believe in you.  Together we will make it!
3. New Ideas: Interesting things happen in the Eat Clean community because people see things through different lenses.  Even I learn. During the Fall Cleanse someone suggested Squeezing and Freezing.  This means, squeeze your lemons and limes, pour the juice in an ice cube tray and freeze.  Then take one cube out for your morning water.  The abundance of ideas you will tap into in this forum will amaze you.  Just wait for the pictures!
4. A Chance to Push Through the Envelope:  As Cleanse participants begin to post about their progress, something powerful happens.  We find new find courage to push past our “going coffee-free headache” or our “where’s the wine” complaining.  We push each other.  We are each other’s cheerleaders, encouraging participants to keep going and push past what we thought we couldn’t do.
5. Motivation: There will be days when you are sorely tempted to eat foods not on the Cleanse.  When you are wavering, visit the Cleanse Facebook page and remind yourself why you wanted to do this.  Look at the community members who are there with you.  You are not alone and that gives us the needed motivation.  If she can do it, I can do it!
6. Accountability:  Eat Clean participants keep each other accountable and accountability is the special cleanse approved sauce that keeps us all going in the same direction.  You need to know that what you are doing is worthy of your time and that others value it as much as you do.  Posting about your worst and best moments keeps us all accountable.

Leaning on one another in the Cleanse community is what we do best.  I am proud of how we gain so much from our shared space, from my Sisters and Brothers in wellness.  The time is perfect for you to find out what I am talking about.

Dr. Rachel and I are here to support you and so are hundreds of others.

Eat Clean for Health and for Life!

Tosca Reno
PS. I’d love to know what you gain from community?  What did you learn?  What did it provide you?  Post your comments in the Comments section below. Share this blog if you like it.