The Five Circles of Influence and Impact
The 1st Circle
INNER CIRCLE
We believe the tribe conversation is critically important as it creates and distinguishes the language and structure of a modern-day thriving tribe for you. As you develop the 4P’s; perspective, philosophy, principles, and practices of a thriving tribe, you expand your tribal consciousness and begin to master important interactions that become the foundations for success and achievement in all areas of life.
The TribeUp Success triad
Live Your Best Life Now
Achieve Your Highest Aims Now
Make Your Greatest Contribution to Society Now
Show me your INNER CIRCLE and I will show you your future. It has been said that you will be most like the five people you associate with and the books you read. I submit to you that the life you are living today is largely due to the most dominant input you have had from your INNER CIRCLE in the past three to five years. If nothing changes then nothing changes. A more expanded and enriched future is the result of upleveling your INNER CIRCLE now.
Your INNER CIRCLE is the core of your core tribe and is included in your RELATIONSHIP circle. It is likely no more than twenty people and for most it is probably less than five. The number of truly qualified people in this circle will largely determine the scope and scale of your life and business.
In the article on the 2nd circle, RELATIONSHIP, I wanted to illustrate how finite and important that circle is, making each available space sacred and valuable. This is even more important in the INNER CIRCLE. These relationships will largely dictate the rest of your life. If you feel stuck and have been there a while, you likely have a weak INNER CIRCLE. If you are building, growing, and scaling and you are feeling accomplished and have been for a while, you likely have a stronger INNER CIRCLE. Just something to consider and assess.
The finite space and the magnitude of this circle require more self-honesty and self-honor than any other circle. It is in our nature to take the path of least resistance but that is not always the best path. We need to attract and sustain valuable character-based relationships here and that requires that success is our way of being and that some hard decisions get made. It requires self-love, self-discipline, self-care, self-development, tribe-development, and self-actualization.
Earn the right people into your INNER CIRCLE
By now you likely have some basic knowledge of the outer four circles. For the first circle, the INNER CIRCLE, there is no short-cutting the other four. One of the biggest cautions we need to give about this circle is that many people have the wrong people in this circle and don’t have the courage to change it. This is open and absolute omission to remain the same and accept it. A lack of courage to change leads to accepting less than your highest and best. Remaining the same is always an option if you choose it to be.
I won't go into the criteria of what your INNER CIRCLE relationships should look like in this article, however, you should explore what they currently are and what they should be for the life you desire to experience. It takes courage to set boundaries, distance yourself from toxic, damaging, or unproductive close relationships. It also takes courage to not be any of these things yourself. It takes strong character and artful interactions to earn the right relationships into your INNER CIRCLE.
This is a slippery slope to talk about, but it is critically important to a thriving tribe. The closest and most important INNER CIRCLE relationship should and likely will be your romantic partner if you have one. You will never reach your full potential and your highest and best if you did not either couple consciously or become a conscious couple now. If you are currently not in a romantic partnership of consequence, carefully consider that this will be the most impactful relationship on your well-being and your achievements before you get into one. A couple that is not in harmony with each other will be evident in everything they do. Likewise, those that are in harmony become a powerful and effective partnership and an even stronger energy signature.
Your INNER CIRCLE is your one true mastermind. You must master your mind and those in this circle must be mastering their minds. Together you will form a mastermind. I am rarely looking for like-mindedness here. I am looking for like-hearted, like-energy, and like-character, or slightly better than me in all areas. I welcome diverse thinking into my INNER CIRCLE and can sustain it if we are like-hearted. Disagreements only become opportunities for more well-rounded perspectives for both of us. As John King says, we are seeking alignment and not necessarily agreement.
Nurture the relationship into its highest and best form
The TribeUp framework is not just about finding, attracting, and choosing the right people into this circle or any circle. It is about nurturing people into their highest and best, current and future possibility. It is about contributing to them in ways that they want to be with you, you have influence with them, and they are expanding and enriched into their full potential.
We must develop ways of being successful, whole, and complete. We attract, inspire, and nurture others into ways of being successful, whole, and complete. This is the foundation for successful partnership. If you want to build, grow, or scale anything of significance, mastering the art of your INNER CIRCLE will be paramount.
When we identify those that are qualified to be in our INNER CIRCLE, we roll out the red carpet. The intention here must carry with it the biggest individual investment of time, money, and energy of all the circles. I believe it is possible to come from a place of love with most and maybe even all interactions, but in the most understood sense of the word, reserve the deepest and most enriching extension of your love for your inner circle. It is most likely to be handled with the greatest care and reciprocation here. Tribe Well!
