Welcome to the Community

If you have been following the book updates on some of the socials, you may have seen the image above. In fact it's also the logo for the publication.

I coined this phrase because most times when we speak of belonging, we may imagine it to be something people afford us in certain locations (spaces) and times (seasons of our life). If we think about it in this way, then it means that those who offer us "belonging" can take it away without warning.

You may have experienced this, either as a child or even as an adult. But one day you're in the in-group and the next day, you're out. Perhaps because of experiences like this, many of us learned to "armor" up to protect ourselves from exposure.

We enter into spaces, wanting to belong and yet holding back or not fortifying our consciousness enough to participate fully in the spaces and places we find ourselves. Because we believe we would not be accepted in the fullness of who we were if we brought all of us (or the most of us) to the proverbial table.

How about we looked beyond others, and looked deep within instead, to see that belonging belongs and begins with us. What do we have to take care of within, in order to come into the fullness of belonging?

Because once we do, we find that we have all we need (and more), to offer to others in our communities and interpersonal relationships.

Welcome to the belonging paradox, where we will work together to adjust the belonging bar so that it doesn't keep us and others out from experiencing the fullness of this core human need, or what psychologists call human motivation.

To the motivated, welcome, I say again.

Dr. O

PS: More exciting book news and other community announcements to follow!

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