I recently attended Trivia Night with my husband and six friends. It's an annual event at the local high school that supports athletics. We have been on the same
team for years and it's essentially the only time throughout the year that we all get together at once. Prior to the event, we all go out to dinner. We look forward to this every February and always enjoy it.
The trivia questions are, for the most part, very difficult. What is always fascinating to me,
however, is that, no matter the topic...movies, science, world geography, sports, authors, etc....somebody on our team of eight usually knows something about that topic. So when a question comes up that is seemingly near-impossible to answer, at least one person on the team generally comes through.
Working with others is a great way to accomplish a common goal, whether it's answering questions at a trivia night event, getting a project done at home or work, or even coming up with ideas for a challenge you may be experiencing or a project you're working on.
Organizing a garage can get done twice as fast when two people are working on this project together. If a family of four is working on it simultaneously, it
can, potentially, be accomplished four times as fast.
Cleaning a home, from top to bottom, may take one person hours and hours to accomplish; maybe it would not even be possible to get it done in a day. But when each family member is assigned cleaning tasks, the job can get accomplished a whole lot quicker...and without all of that work on any one person's shoulders.
Moving a heavy piece of furniture or equipment is way less strenuous when two, three, four, or more people are doing so together. (Furniture Sliders help too, by the way.)
Think about brainstorming. Sure, one person can brainstorm alone. But the volume of ideas you can generate with a group of humans is amazing.
I've hosted and/or helped out with countless large fundraisers...5K runs, Italian nights, brat sales and more...the more people we had helping, the
lighter the workload and the more fun each of us was able to have on event day.
What about when something has been on your mind? It often helps to call someone and at least just talk it through. The person on the other end of the phone (your teammate) can benefit you just by "being there for you."
I've heard so many people say, "I'm better off just doing it myself.' (Whatever it may be.)
But in reality, you can't take EVERYTHING on your shoulders all the time and expect not to have an issue immediately...or at least somewhere down
the line.
Plus, one person alone cannot ever accomplish what many people can collectively.
And what about when someone thinks that they're the only person who can do whatever the task is because they do it best?
I heard a mom say the other day, "I don't like the way my teenager folds the laundry, so I just do it myself." Unfortunately, that kind of thinking is a disservice to that teen.
First off, it's not that big of a deal if the laundry isn't folded perfectly. Second, not showing the teen how you want it done will result in the teen never folding in the manner you would like. Third, that child is no longer being empowered to be responsible with this chore. Fourth, you are stuck always having to fold the laundry...forever, and ever, and
ever.
Team up with your better half. Team up with family members when needed...the family that lives in your home or your extended family. Team up with friends or neighbors. Team up with co-workers.
Teams of people can be hired to help you when needed and when it's within your budget...for your cleaning tasks, outdoor lawn and garden maintenance, or household repairs.
Team up with people online. They
may not be able to help you dust and vacuum, but they can certainly provide motivation, accountability, and ideas.
Being Superwoman or Superman, the person who handles EVERYTHING and makes it look easy, is okay now and then. Everybody wants to feel like a superhero on occasion.
But teamwork allows you to share your superhero status with many people, takes the pressure off of you (physically and emotionally), gives you more time for the people and things you love, empowers others,
and essentially is a beautiful thing.
