Before they achieved what they did they found themselves surrounded by many people who could help them, people they did not personally know, various experts who had experience in what needed to happen. They didn’t achieve what they did by themselves. They were prepared and they had an insurance policy in place, namely their team (as we would say at The Men’s Table).

Here is a piece from a man at a Table about how important it is that he found a community.

“When I joined MT33 I felt very much like an ‘island’, in a new country and thousands of miles away from friends, family and work colleagues. Up until that point, I hadn’t really given much thought to belonging to a community, or rather had simply taken it for granted. All of a sudden I’d been stripped of my community and although at that time I wasn’t facing any particularly difficult challenges in life, I was acutely aware that I had become isolated and it didn’t feel great.

The idea of meeting up with other men who were completely unknown to me, listening to what was happening in their lives, empathising, sharing and allowing everyone to be heard did seem a very alien idea at the beginning. It didn’t take too long though and it felt good. It felt meaningful to be supporting other men by being there to listen and forming a small community based on trust and shared experience.

No one is self-sufficient in life and everyone relies on others at some point; we just don’t know when that moment will be. My moment came in 2021 when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and our world turned upside down. Having a community of trusted men around me in the months of treatment that followed was invaluable.”

Many men come to The Men’s Table before a big life change, many come to find connection in their communities before a “big” life event.

Sir Edmund Hillary and Neil Armstrong had their teams in place before their big event. Many men come to a Table thankfully before their big event. Have you thought of doing something amazing and thought I’ll just do it by myself. This will be a doddle. Doing something by yourself can be exhausting and leave you feeling more on your own than ever. Maybe a group of good blokes around you can help you achieve what you want or get you through that big life challenge. One thing is for sure, life can throw up an unexpected “big” event for you. Have your team in place ahead of time.

The team should not just be there once a month at your Table. Regular contact adds that very important extra layer of support. Most Tables now use Whatsapp to communicate during the month. It is always nice to know that somebody else is out there and responds back to you. Imagine “Houston, The Eagle has landed” only to get “Due to the large number of calls we are getting ….”

If you feel you have a mountain to climb or a moon that needs landing on, remember you don’t have to do it by yourself. Draw on your team, call on your Table.