How Co-Living Teaches Us to Be Better People
November 29, 2023
Almost everything nowadays is shared. Start-ups thrive in coworking spaces. Independent investors share their ideas in collaborations. And now, the trend of coliving has also started to steal the spotlight and become a lifestyle for many individuals.
What these trends all have in common is the act of opening one’s self to others, an act that is not always as easy to do in real life. Whether or not you have tried coliving in some form or manner, coliving in this day and age benefits people in a unique yet lasting manner.
By taking sharing into a more personal space and realm, coliving lets you grow with others and overcome challenges together to become better people. Here are some ways that coliving benefits a group that shares and lives together.
Breeding Collaboration Over Competition
Unlike dorms, coliving spaces can bring together a mix of people. A common misconception is that only millennials will gear towards this setup. But in the reality of today’s economic situation, it is not uncommon to find other like-minded individuals from various generations.
Compared to the common trend in professional settings, where people believe that competition will breed creativity, coliving spaces tend to promote collaboration and harmony. Most times, competition can and should be left in the professional setting.
When it comes to cultivating relationships and friendships within the home, learning how to live with different people and see different perspectives can become value in understanding the bigger picture of society.
Finding Your Passion in People
Perhaps the biggest similarity of coliving spaces with coworking spaces is the tendency for events and collaborations to occur. Sometimes, it can be initiated by the landlord or community managers, in an effort to encourage socialization among the coliving individuals. Other times, friendships just tend to naturally happen.
While the immediate advantage of this is that one gets to form a social support network to turn to in times of need, another way to look at this is how you can help your coliving community. When people become part of another’s supportive networks, they come to feel more responsible for these individuals.
When you are all new in a major, unfamiliar city, it helps to have a friendly face around. But this also teaches people to become the friendly face for others, thus building a habit of making themselves available to others who may need them.
Understanding and Shouldering Responsibilities
On the most basic level, coliving brings people back to the idea of living in college dorms. While the image of college dorms is always of parties and fun, it’s the mundane day-to-day trivialities that most people have to deal with.
Whose turn is it to clean and take out the trash? Who needs to clean the bathroom? Who will wash the dishes when you eat together? Who will cook?
Chores and responsibilities make a person better. It asks more of them than just taking care of their own needs. In a coliving situation, this extends to more adult responsibilities, including utilities, groceries, transportation, and other resources. You become more responsible not only of yourself, but also of others, which is a trait that will take you a long way in life.
Learning to live with others is a great first step towards living a fulfilling life that is also others-oriented. LivingQ not only provide a space to do this, but also grants opportunities for more benevolent relationships and friendships to grow.
