Your Family Is More About Where You Are Born
Who do you call family? If you are talking to most people it will consist of mom, dad, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, or some combination of these relatives. I would say the same thing. For the most part, our family is due to the relationships with the people of the family we are born into.
As I have been studying families and organizations I have come to the realization that family has less to do with who you are born to and more to do with the relationships you have. I believe that people can become family with someone they have never met as they get to know that person.
There are two things that I believe tie us together as a family and the first is as simple and at the same time as complex as love. Love is the ultimate equalizer. One of the best definitions of love I have heard is by Simon Sinek. He defined it as, “Giving someone the power to destroy you and trusting they won’t use it.”
When we love someone we give them all of us. By doing so you put yourself in a state of vulnerability with that person because you trust them enough that they have your best intentions at heart. Then as this love is reciprocated you, in turn, hold that same power over them and you work day in and day out never to hurt that person.
The second aspect that ties us together as a family is a purpose. A strong healthy family is one that understands what they are trying to accomplish. They understand the reasons why and their role in the family unit to get to where we are trying to make it. Love is what gives our family reason and purpose is what give us action.
As you can see with these two aspects that bring us together as a family a strong family that you are born into will have these but at different times in your life, you will have a family you love and work together within purpose where those two things tie you together as a family. If you feel you are struggling with any members of those who you consider your family take a step back and look at how you are showing your love for them and if all involved are one in purpose.