Back in the day, communities had barn raising events. A barn is a huge and somewhat complicated structure to build, and required a lot of people power, so the family that needed the barn would prepare and organize as much as possible in advance and on the chosen day loads of people from their community would show up to do the heavy lifting and hammering.

People with specific skills were designated to make sure critical elements were taken care of. No one got paid. No one got “shares” in the barn. They were just there to help, because they could. If you didn't have specific skills you just did whatever was needed. It was all about interdependence.

We don’t do that so much anymore, but what if we did? What if when we had an idea and got ourselves organized we could put out the call and our “community” came out to support us to get the ball rolling? Some projects seem to big to take on our own because of the energy required to start. But once they are going, it is much easier to manage.

I’m all about bringing back barn raising in a different way. In an era where it is common for individuals and small groups to start businesses this kind of community support to get the ball rolling can be crucial. It can make the launch seem so much less daunting when you have a tribe there to lean on.

What “barns” are being raised in your community? And how could this tradition help you make your dream real? Brainstorm and barn raise…sometimes the oldest ideas are the best.