Understanding the importance and power held within your tribe is one of the first steps to gaining any measurable momentum towards success. Truthfully, nothing in life can truly be achieved alone. Try thinking of a position/role/job that can be completed without any outside help. It's an interesting exercise in grasping the validity behind the statement "It takes a tribe."

Once you establish your absolute need for a tribe, you can carefully select (and de-select, should the circumstances call for it) people that push you, challenge you, inspire you, and guide you towards your own journey #upwardalways. Those people don't necessarily need to know that they are a part of your tribe. For instance, public speaker and all-around #bossbabe Cindy Novotny has no clue she is one the founding members of my personal tribe. But maybe one day she will and it will be glorious.

But here are 8 reasons why it's crucial to have your own tribe:

1. They get you. - When you are stressing over work deadlines, fretting over your next launch, or simply need to vent about how you've lost that loving feeling towards your current project, your tribe is there to listen and understand exactly where you are coming from. And then they can talk some sense into you and guide you back on the right path.

2. They support your journey. - Your neighbors don't get you. Your boss probably doesn't get you (or appreciate that you take extended bathroom breaks to work on your side hustle). Your own significant other may not know the right words to say. But your tribe will be there to remind you why you started and what's waiting for you at the finish line.

3. They inspire you. - Who better to draw inspiration from than your own people?! You support them just as much as they support you. And it's that cyclical love and trust that makes your world go 'round.

4. They allow you to be your unadulterated 100% self. - You've got a freak flag every shade of the rainbow and your tribe will be there to laugh alongside you when you let it show. Your tribe embraces your weirdness and finds it endearing. It's within that safety net that you can feel most like yourself, unapologetically and freely.

5. There can be separate tribes. - My mentor-that-is-unaware-that-she's-my-mentor Cindy Novotny believes that "There is nothing wrong with having friends at work as long as their friendship helps you grow and get better." Simply having someone to vent to behind closed doors in the office can allow you to keep your cool on an emergency basis and then be able to make a good impression with clients.

6. They hold you accountable. - One of the more crucial tasks of the tribe member is to keep you accountable and hold you to your goals. Slacking off need not apply from both parties.

7. They provide you an outlet from yourself. - The opportunity to focus on someone else's growth and success gives you variety ('tis the spice of life), perspective, and inspiration.

8. They keep you healthy. - According to the UCLA Study on Friendship Among Women...

Friends are also helping us live better. The famed Nurses' Health Study from Harvard Medical School found that the more friends women had, the less likely they were to develop physical impairments as they aged, and the more likely they were to be leading a joyful life. In fact, the results were so significant, the researchers concluded, that not having close friends or confidants was as detrimental to your health as smoking or carrying extra weight.

It's imperative and more fun to keep a tribe around, not just for the reasons above. But for whatever reasons you deem important to you. SHARE in the comments the aspects of your tribe that you appreciate the most.