REFLECTIONS: Our First Community Cleanse

For the first time since the birth of Habibi Body Sport, we decided to host a Community Cleanse with the NOURISH 1 program. We designed a structured gathering (both on and offline) of like-minded humans to start and end the program at the same time. The idea was to help participants with sustainable success, by having them uplift and encourage each other. So we plotted, we planned, we advertised, and we waited…

Needless to say, nothing went as planned.

We gave ourselves enough lead time to get participants on board in what we believed would be smooth fashion. But for the first few weeks, nothing happened. Nothing, despite on and offline advertising and plenty of feedback and interest. Then, less than two weeks before the scheduled start date:

We had an emergency change of venue.

The ‘checkout’ feature on our website died.

AND EVERYONE SIGNED UP AT THE SAME TIME.

So we went from nothing to EVERYTHING in less time than it takes to blend a smoothie, and all of our best laid plans went right out the window. So we pivoted, put on a happy face, and pushed forward. We went from 3 participants to 38… which was a lot more than we planned for. Because of this, regular scheduling for Sports Aids had to be adjusted, but the truth was that no one seemed to notice – and if they did – no one seemed to care.

And it was in that very open attitude that we learned the most valuable lesson. It’s not planning that makes a successful community event. It’s not the venue, or the food, or the swag… IT’S THE PEOPLE. We were extremely fortunate to bring together some of the most open, brutally honest, refreshing human beings from a wide range of backgrounds. They connected, talked, cussed, laughed, sent some of the wildest text messages and emails… and they successfully completed their programs with plans to never stop pursuing their optimum health and wellness!

Armed with this new outlook (and some very valuable lessons learned along the way), we are gearing up for the next cleanse! This one happens on September 9th, as we transition from Summer to Autumn.

The key to sustainable success is COMMUNITY. As we bring this cleanse to a close, that is more evident than ever before. We are not alone, and we are always ENOUGH.

Each One Lift One.