How To Find Your Soul Tribe

A karass, a term first introduced in Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, is a group of people who are meant to further a collective purpose. Maybe your karass revolves around reversing climate change or saving the rain forest. Maybe you're destined to stop sexual trafficking or end world hunger.

According to Vonnegut, members of a karass might never even know they are part of it. But when you meet someone who is in your karass, your souls will resonate instantly, even though the connection might not make sense to you on a human level. This is how the Divine gets important things done in the world.

Members of the same karass are held to their purpose by a spiritual magnetism — some live very close to the purpose while others are further out. So how do you find the other people in your particular karass — your soul tribe?

Here are nine tips to help you find your soul tribe, because once you commit to your true purpose, everything else in life begins to fall into place:

Have faith in your ability to attract a tribe by giving yourself up to sacred service in the world. Let go of any limiting belief that says, “I'm not good enough.” Follow your visionary heart and trust the Divine to support your mission. Realize that all it takes to change the world is one person, and that one person could very well be you.

When you join a movement rather than just a newsletter or book club, you call forth something within yourself and invite your highest self to participate in one of God’s holy ideas. Think Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Think Al Gore and the movement to fight global warming. People want to be part of something that matters — inject soul into your message and other people will feel it.

Tribes arise when movements happen, and tribes choose their own leadership. If you'd like to be elected to lead your tribe, tell a story that speaks to your karass and has the potential to go viral. Kid President’s Pep Talk YouTube video and Scott Dinsmore’s "How To Find and Do the Work You Love" TEDx talk are great examples. Give people a story about the future you envision, and invite them to help create it.

When you make a ruckus — when you get wildly creative, challenge authority, and let your passion shine through — others who also question the status quo will be likely to follow your lead. Find a unique, resounding way to present your tribe with a call to action.

Real visionaries don't set out to become famous or prove their self-worth. They act because they're passionate about their missions and they genuinely love those they serve. Effective leaders might get a lot of attention, but they don’t absorb it. Instead, they use it to unite their tribe and reinforce the purpose of their karass.

Top-down leadership requires that a leader give a message to their followers. If you give your message the space to spread sideways, your tribe will grow. Too many people cling to their ideas because they’re afraid someone else will steal them. Don't let fear inspire you to grasp too tightly to your message because, in the end, anything that comes through as Divine inspiration doesn’t belong to you anyway. As Joyce Carol Oates said, “I never understand when people make a fuss over me as a writer. I'm just the garden hose water sprays through."

Leverage social media and give your tribe a forum they can use to talk to one another. Be sure to network with others who are likely to uplift your message. Too many people see fellow karass members as competitors rather than potential collaborators. If someone serves the same purpose that you do, reach out and see if there are ways you can support one another.

Fellow members of your karass are not just "fans" — they are part of a deep, core soul tribe. Remember that every tribe member is a human being with feelings, not just another Facebook fan number or digit to add to your newsletter list. Treat each one like he or she matters, and your tribe will feel it.

When you speak from your heart and offer your most authentic truth, your karass will relate to you on an energetic level. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable or imperfect. Be brave enough to share your truth and you’ll help others be courageous enough to share theirs.

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Learn more about how to find and follow your true calling in my new memoir, The Anatomy of a Calling, available for preorder now.