We’re continuing our series on community this week.  In the new economy, developing cooperative communities in both work and life are going to be the key to your wealth.

• There can be no vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability; there can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community. - M. Scott Peck

• If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth.- Mitsugi Saotome

• We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone … and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.- Sandra Day O’Connor

If you look at wealthy people and celebrities, they are often mocked for the entourage they carry with them. But, if you can look beyond the surface for a moment what you’ll see is that the entourage is a support community.

You don’t have to be uber-rich or a celebrity to deserve, want and, yes, even need your own entourage.

When created with awareness, it’s the entourage that will provide the support you need for you to have the life and business you want.  On the flip side though, the entourage could also potentially drain the life out of you.

As you grow in wealth, you will very likely attract people who are hangers-on, black crabs (you know those crabs that when you put them in a bucket, they try to pull each other down), and energy vampires.  That’s why the first tenet of creating your support community is to set open-hearted boundaries that are clearly communicated to those around you. (To read all of the tenets, check last week’s article.)

Let’s break this down into three steps:
1. Identify your boundaries
2. Discover how to communicate them and
3. Communicate in a clear, loving and direct manner

When you’ve practiced these three steps enough (and yes, they do take practice), you’ll find freedom from the stress, frustration and exhaustion that you are very likely experiencing right now.

You’ll never again bite off more than you can chew because you “feel bad saying no”, get overwhelmed or continue to let people suck you dry emotionally, spiritually or physically to the point you are worn down, disillusioned and bitter when it’s all because you didn’t speak up in the first place.

Instead, you are going to get very clear on your values and what’s important to you and those values will guide your boundaries.  Then you’ll make a commitment to stick to those boundaries.

Yes, there’s going to be some things that come up when you do.

People who are used to hearing you say yes all the time or bend over backwards to support them are going to get a little bent out of shape.  It’s okay, they’ll bend back into shape.

As you learn to stick to your boundaries and follow your heart, the people in your community will respect you more because they’ll know you as a person of your word.  They’ll know you mean what you say and when you commit to something, you’re 100% behind it.  And when you say no with love, it’s because you love yourself and you love the person asking enough not to give them the leftovers of your time, emotions and sanity.

So make a decision to get clear about your boundaries this week and begin to lovingly and with an open heart share them with the people in your life when they are in danger of being crossed.