Eleanor Roosevelt, in her wisdom, said “It takes a village to raise a child.”  I believe our needs for a supportive, nurturing and challenging village extend decades beyond our childhood.  Perhaps the quote could be broadened to all ages with a slight modification, “It takes a village to empower us to our greatness.”

As part of our village, we need to find villagers who challenge us in positive ways, support us in finding and strengthening our talents, motivate us to reach far and dream wide, cheer us on when we achieve our goals, inspire us to be the best that we can be and encourage us in our moments of defeat.  Your village may be small or large, it may be local or global, it may be focused in one area or have overlapping concentric circles to capture your many needs.  Whatever your village looks like, however it is constructed, wherever it exists, it will be up to you to build it and maintain its strength.  What can you do today that will boost your village and actualize you toward your greatness?