We modern folk often complain about the limitations of our community. Small towns are often considered to be boring places that are filled with lazy, even backward people, and cities are also taken for granted when we have been in the one place for long enough. Perhaps there is a little truth in the complaints that are made, but for the most part, the obstacle comes down to us getting caught up in an unresourceful and uninspired state. If you truly feel called to go elsewhere, then of course, save some money, or go on a whim, and go with your heart. But if you are planning to stay where you are, why not make the most of it? There can be amazing people and resources surrounding you when you are aligned and receptive to it. Here are some vital tips to help you make the most out of your local community.

1) Examine your beliefs and start asking more quality questions. “Is this really a boring and crappy place to live, or am I just projecting my limiting attitudes onto this town?” “If I was to move to another city, would I be truly fulfilled, or would I carry the same attitude I have with me?” “How can I contribute toward making this community more interesting and alive?”

2) Online forums & classifieds. Is there an online forum or free classified page specifically set up for your town or city? If so, get in there, check out what events are happening in your local community. If nothing like this is set up, start your own forum or classified page, or even set up a Facebook page for your community. Get some local businesses to advertise or invest in the project, and use this as a way of setting up interesting local events.

3) Meetup groups. Use a website like www.meetup.com or Facebook to join or set up community meetup groups for people with similar interests or life experiences as you. Regardless of where you are, there’s bound to be intelligent people around who share similar values to you. Meet with like minded people on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis.

4) Get out into nature. There’s bound to be some parks or some beautiful natural scenery near where you live. Shopping centers, cinemas and other entertaining man made structures can only provide so much fulfillment. Human beings need to connect to nature at times to stay vital and happy. Go on a bush walk (or start a bushwalking group!), go swimming at the beach or in a river, run around and have fun in a park.

5) Night life. Go out into the night life and meet new people. If you are clear on the idea that you want to meet compatible friends who share or at least support your values, you will likely begin to meet those people. Surrounding yourself with a complimentary social network makes life enjoyable regardless of where you are located.

6) Contact the local entertainment centre and other entertainment venues and ask to be put onto their mailing list, or get them to call you when any interesting events are coming to town.

7) Write down a list of 150 benefits of living where you are right now. Sitting down with pen and paper and pushing yourself to come up with a long list of benefits will give you a massive change in perspective. It may be fairly easy to come up with a list of 50 benefits, but to reach 150 involves digging deep, expanding your mind and looking for the true blessings of your situation. As you dig further and further, your subconscious mind will produce insights and answers that can definitely bring tears of thankfulness to your eyes. You may ask “Why would I bother writing a list of 150 benefits?” Well, if you are in any situation where you perceive more negatives than positives, you are going to be run by that situation; you will react to it, become frustrated and stressed by it. It’s not until you find a perfect balance of positives and negatives in any situation that you can experience true fulfillment and freedom where you are, right now.

So, no matter where you are in your life right now, a good ‘reflection session’ can definitely serve you well. If you plan on staying where you are, why not get resourceful and creative with your situation? Why not open your heart to new people and activities that will enhance your life? Wherever you choose to be, we wish you the best of what life has to offer!