And when it comes to the personal growth community, Mindvalley events<\/strong><\/a>\u2014like A-Fest, Mindvalley University, and Mindvalley Live (held in various locations around the world)\u2014are where it\u2019s at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We all have the desire to stand out, yet we also want to fit in. It\u2019s a vital social component of every human being, stemming back from our ancestors, who functioned as a group for survival. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s no different in this day and age. Cultivating social bonds counteracts the feelings of loneliness, which, unfortunately, contributes to the risk of adverse health outcomes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Research<\/a> has found social isolation and loneliness to be linked to a number of physical and mental conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depression, and even Alzheimer\u2019s. And as a matter of fact, social exclusion<\/a> triggers the same part of our brain as when we feel physical pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We are all connected and, therefore, should seek understanding with each other.<\/p>\n\u2014 Vishen, founder of Mindvalley<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n It comes as no surprise (or it shouldn’t, anyway) that belonging is a need<\/em>. So much so that social psychologist Abraham Maslow put it as one of the main human priorities in his 1943 essay, \u201cA Theory of Human Motivation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The principles later became known as Maslow\u2019s hierarchy of needs, a pyramid-illustrated categorization of our physiological needs to survive (like food, water, and rest) and our emotional needs (love, belonging, and esteem) for our personal growth<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The feeling of inclusion comes with benefits, science-backed and all. Here\u2019s a look at a few of them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without a doubt, being a part of something bigger than ourselves is a necessary ingredient for an abundant life. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And if there\u2019s a lesson learned from the isolation of the pandemic, it\u2019s that connection with like-minded people who can help us step into our greatness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are creating new spaces of belonging,<\/em>\u201d says Eni Selfo<\/strong>, Mindvalley\u2019s head of community management. It\u2019s a principle she holds dearly, having grown up with the feeling of not fully belonging (\u201cneither fish nor fowl,<\/em>\u201d as she highlights in a post<\/a> on her LinkedIn). And it\u2019s one she and her team are adamant to fulfill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without a doubt, there are pros to being a member of a group. There are also benefits of going through a transformational program as a collective, as demonstrated in a 2018 study<\/a> that found more weight loss amongst the participants with buddies than those without one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you are on a journey where you are transforming yourself, change cannot be sustained in the long term unless you have a community of people around you who are aligned with that change.<\/p>\n\u2014 Eni Selfo, head of community management at Mindvalley<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n With its global audience consisting of more than 80 nationalities coming in from all over the world, that\u2019s exactly what Mindvalley events provide\u2014the safe (and fun) space to undergo a personal growth journey with others who are doing the same. As Eni adds, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing more impactful than the people you do your life with.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Mindvalley is known for being a personal growth platform, it has always been about serving humanity first. So much so that it\u2019s a part of our manifesto<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And personal development events, like A-Fest, Mindvalley University, and Mindvalley Live, are no different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For many years, A-Fest has been non-profit.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n And because the Mindvalley community is a global one, proceeds from prior A-Fests have gone to Syrian refugees. Additionally, the ones from A-Fest 2022 have gone to various non-governmental organizations to support Ukraine<\/a> in its current crisis. (The proceeds from A-Fest 2023 will also go to Ukraine.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mindvalley is no stranger to technology. Even within its app is a way to make connections with other members\u2014and with good reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reality is, there are so many aspects to personal growth. If you\u2019re a parent, you\u2019d more likely want to link up with other parents. Or if you\u2019re into energy healing, you\u2019d navigate towards others with the same interest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So within a global community like Mindvalley, how could you find your people? <\/strong>How would the technology help with making deep connections easier?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eni explains that the AI-powered connections would send you a list of potential people you can connect with based on your location, interests, career, Mindvalley quests that you’ve done or are going through, and life goals, on top of other factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It would essentially act as a buddy system<\/strong> for anything and everything Mindvalley-related, from quest communities to local meet-ups to Mindvalley events around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the wonderful things about Mindvalley events is the people with a shared passion for growth and transformation. Here\u2019s what some members who\u2019ve been part of the Mindvalley community have to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Community and events are so awesome that it is almost impossible not to be positively impacted or changed. It is like being in a river of content and knowledge. No matter where you are, you are going to flow. If you swim, you will go farther, but even if you just float, you are going to change. The force of the tide is going to take you with it and show you new vistas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About a year and a half ago, I started doing meet-ups in New York, where I met lots of Mindvalley members, and now they\u2019ve made this global. So, it\u2019s been really cool to watch these local meet-ups happen because I really think that connection is the key. \u2026 [Personal growth] is something that I\u2019ve always studied and I\u2019ve always loved, but I\u2019ve never had anyone to discuss it with. So meeting up with people who are from the Mindvalley community\u2014they\u2019re all interested in personal growth and becoming better\u2014and it\u2019s great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of us enjoy our childhood and youth with the constant feeling of belonging\u2014to our family, to their religion, to our community. Some of us, however, become seekers, in search of meaning, purpose, and belonging, with our hearts in the right place but our bodies in the wrong ones, it often seems. I have searched for a like-minded and like-hearted tribe for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I finally found it within Mindvalley. A community where we show up with authenticity, empathy, and vulnerability, where our energy gets elevated every single time and the impossible becomes possible. Endlessly thankful for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At my very first A-Fest, the Universe brought me together with an energy healer who became my roommate, who then, played a massive role in my repairing my relationship with my mom during a time that it was weighing very heavy on me. The byproduct of this session cured an upper back pain that I’d been having for 20 years. I did not go into the event looking for this, nor have any inkling this would have been the outcome and created such a big shift for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m very excited and open to what will become possible with me stepping into that unknown again during the next event\u2014new location, new people to meet, exchanging an embrace with those I’m fond of from the last event. Life has expanded for me since I became a member. As Vishen says, A-Fest doesn’t give you what you want, it gives you what you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can learn more about how Mindvalley impacts its members at <\/em><\/strong>Mindvalley Stories<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Take events like the Super Bowl, World Cup, Burning Man, or Coachella, for example. You\u2019ve got to admit, the collective energy is always at a whole other level than watching it digitally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These kinds of events cultivate a community (or communities) of similar-minded people: American football fans for the Super Bowl, self-expression enthusiasts for Burning Man, music lovers for Coachella, and so on. And these communities provide belongingness, interrelatedness, connectedness, and a list of \u201c\u2013ness\u201d-isms that fulfill the foundations of human needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since belongingness has a great impact on your well-being, it\u2019s important to be intentional<\/strong> about cultivating it with those who share the same values and commonalities as you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are Eni\u2019s suggestions on how you can find your people in the Mindvalley community:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Different Mindvalley quests are going to attract different profiles. For example, someone looking to instill Love Week in their workplace<\/a> will have a different interest than those looking to uplevel their sex life or even those who want to move beyond their love wounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Eni, it\u2019s about her professional career. So for her, she would gravitate to those in the community who are doing the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out what\u2019s important to you, she advises. It\u2019s about \u201cbeing intentional about what type of conversation you want to have and the type of people that you want to surround yourself with.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to learn about something you\u2019re unfamiliar with, find a mentor<\/a>. Cultivating a relationship with one can help guide and motivate you, as well as impact your choices and life trajectory significantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since personal growth is wide-ranged, so are the people in it. And at Mindvalley, you\u2019ll find all sorts of profiles.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You want to find a best-selling author? You will. An inventor? You will. A psychologist? You will. A person who channels energy for abundance? You will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo how do you want to really leverage this community?<\/em>\u201d asks Eni. \u201cHow do you want to leverage the connections that you can make, leverage the doors they can open for you in a way that helps you become the person you want to become?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The way to find your people is to actually go find them<\/em>. You can absolutely become a Mindvalley Member and join curated legendary events, like A-Fest, Mindvalley University, Mindvalley Live, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also go to your Mindvalley app<\/strong><\/a> and click on the \u201cConnect\u201d icon. There, you\u2019ll find people near you, so you can arrange a hangout if you prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re not yet ready to commit, you can join a meet-up<\/strong><\/a>. The great thing is, Mindvalley members come from all around the globe, so you can find them meeting up in different cities around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Mindvalley, it\u2019s not about the had-to-be-there vibes to show off on social media; rather, it\u2019s about a way to cultivate our common humanity to connect with other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy you feel the need to belong<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How it contributes to your well-being<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"People](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/mv-prod-blog-en-assets\/2023\/01\/e62afe41-events-community-a-fest-jordan-0c2a0253-kersti-niglas.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow Mindvalley events cultivate its community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Eni](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/mv-prod-blog-en-assets\/2023\/01\/642ab30a-events-community-a-fest-jordan-kha_4576-karen-harms-500x500-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
Serving humanity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Using AI-powered connections<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Appreciating the Mindvalley Members<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Ashok](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/mv-prod-blog-en-assets\/2023\/01\/6ec161e6-events-community-afest-croatia-2015-dsc_3107-karen-harms-photography.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAshok Thakur<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Kerry](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/mv-prod-blog-en-assets\/2023\/01\/cb8d65a6-events-community-kha_4278-karen-harms.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nKerry Fischer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/mv-prod-blog-en-assets\/2023\/01\/9a6019e4-mark-eggimann-mindvalley-img_9296.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMark Eggimann<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Sonia](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/mv-prod-blog-en-assets\/2023\/01\/11801255-events-community-kha_9853-karen-harms.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSonia Batra<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
3 ways you can find your people in the Mindvalley community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Identify what\u2019s most important to you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Know how to leverage the connections you make<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Join a meet-up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n