During these times of unprecedented change, how can you “be the change you want to see in the world”? You may be wanting to initiate change in your family, community, workplace, your own business … the world. Where do you start?
A good place to start is with yourself. Do some inner exploration. Some useful questions are: “How do I typically respond to change? Rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 – 1 being scares me to death and 10 being I thrive on it. Then ask yourself “How do I typically respond to a change that is imposed on me or comes out of the blue?” Rate yourself again on a scale from 1 to 10 and notice if there is any difference. It’s helpful to journal your responses to these questions.
Typically, we rate ourselves higher when we initiate or feel we have control over a change. When we feel it is imposed or comes “out of the blue” we often rate ourselves lower. That said many leaders thrive on change and you may be one of them.
Now ask yourself, “When I think about change what thoughts, words, emotions come up for me?”
You may also focus on a change that you are currently having to deal with and notice what thoughts, words or emotions come up for you. If there are some negative ones such as anger, resentment, fear … (which are natural), imagine each one as a rock in a knapsack on your back, feel the weight of them and then imagine releasing them all and having them all fall to the ground.
It is extremely important to identify negative feelings in our bodies, and to acknowledge and consciously release them, in order for us to move forward and embrace a change.
It is helpful to identify any old stories about change you may have learned from people close to you early in life who were trying to keep you safe. You may wish to rewrite your narrative around change and underpin it with a positive belief such as: “Embracing change is a creative process that opens me up to new possibilities.” Notice how that makes you feel.
Being self-aware of how you respond to change is important, as people close to you in your family, community, workplace … look up to you and learn from how you model and respond to change. Do you typically embrace or resist it?
What insights have you gotten from these exercises? I welcome your thoughts and comments below.
December is a great month to reflect on your achievements from the current year and to set intentions for the coming year.
A process that I’ve found to be extremely useful for myself and my clients is to answer the following questions and journal about them at the end of one year and before starting a new one.
Reflections:
What are the accomplishments I am most proud of in 2020?
What am I most grateful for this year?
What lessons have I learned regarding relationships, work experience, my business, my own blind spots … over the past year?
Intentions:
What are my intentions for 2021 (in five areas)?
Personal life – i.e. What my personal life looks and feels like. Note that it is important to write your intentions in the present tense as if you have already accomplished them. For example; “I am strongly connected to myself, my gifts, my fears, my strengths. I courageously uncover any and all fears, doubts and limiting beliefs that are holding me back from standing in my true power and fulfilling my larger vision and mission … .”
Related to my Health – i.e. What my health looks and feels like. “I feel great! My body is toned, strong and flexible. I radiate health and vitality – physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually. I do yoga 3 to 4 times/week, meditate daily and spend regular time in nature hiking, kayaking, swimming, cycling …
Financial – i,e. What my financial life looks and feels like. “ I average $_______ thousand a month in terms of income generation through Creative Life Coaching & Consulting. I feel financially free and serene. I pay off my credit cards every month and my line of credit is paid off. …
Spiritual – i.e. What my spiritual life looks and feels like. “I continue to meditate daily and deepen my ability to go within and connect with the Universal wisdom. I continue to strengthen and listen to my body’s wisdom. … “
Intellectual – i.e. What my intellectual life looks and feels like. “I am flexible, flowing and open to new ideas. I connect with my creativity easily and effortlessly. … I blog regularly and creative ideas come to me easily. I design and facilitate workshops and retreats that many women connect with and learn from.”
I encourage you to experiment with the process above. Feel free to change the titles of the 5 areas suggested to ones that resonate for you. Reviewing your intentions quarterly and noting how you’re doing in relation to them, helps keep them top of mind and provides encouragement to move forward. Using your intentions as a “touch stone” at the end of each year to review your achievements is helpful.
Celebrating your accomplishments feels so good and is important to provide you with the energy and commitment to move forward and fulfill your intentions. Here’s a short video that explains why it is important to celebrate.
Best of luck reflecting on 2020 and setting bold intentions for 2021. To your health, happiness, fulfillment and inner peace!
I invite you to try out the process and welcome your comments below. Feel free to share this post with others.
The way many of us in the world are currently living and working is not sustainable. The way our organizations and societies are structured, how they are led, and how success is defined are being questioned. Our day-to-day actions and the beliefs and values on which they are based, are resulting in many of us experiencing chronic stress leading to negative impacts on our bodies, minds, relationships, productivity, and our bottom lines.
Our reliance on fossil fuels and a world focusing on consumption and the belief that earth’s resources are infinite are now being challenged. We now have data to show how nature can heal itself if we let her. Many of us are finally embracing the need to take action to preserve and save our beautiful planet and the fauna and the flora within it.
COVID-19 has shone the light on a number of the inequalities such as systemic racism, gender-based violence … and we are now acknowledging that we need to take action NOW toward creating a world that works for everyone.
What can you do? Where can you start?
We know that change starts from the inside-out and begins with each and every one of us.
The 7 keys to what I call Creative Living and the strategies and practices associated with them are an excellent starting point to begin to “be the change”.
There are 7 keys to Creative Living with proven practices and powerful strategies based on my own journey and work with clients from diverse cultures and backgrounds that are supported by evidence from neuroscience, the health promoting and healing benefits of the arts, organizational development and eastern psychology.
The 7 keys to Creative Living are: 1) Listen to and Trust in Your Body’s Wisdom; 2) Tap into and Express Your Creative Side; 3) Consciously Create Right and Left Brain/Body Balance; 4) Live in Alignment with Your Core Values; 5) Believe that You are Here to Make a Difference; 6) Learn from and Embrace Life Transitions; and 7) Find Inner Peace and Build Peace in Your Family, Community, Workplace … the World.
In my next few posts, I will be sharing how each of the 7 keys can support you to “be the change” you want to see in the world. Stay tuned!
I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your comments below; e.g. What strategy or strategies do you believe are important for creating a world that works for everyone?
There’s been a lot of talk in
recent years about women “being the change” we want to see in the world. Yet how do you “be the change” in your
day-to-day life? Here are a few thoughts that I hope will stimulate some of
your own.
How can we be the change we want to see in our homes?
By choosing to share household responsibilities with our partners such as cooking, cleaning, yard work … and modelling these choices for our children
Teaching our boys as well as our girls to cook, clean, do the dishes …
Teaching our girls as well as our boys to mow lawns, shovel snow …
Becoming financially literate. By this I mean “ … the possession of the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions with all of their financial resources” (Source – Wikipedia; ) and ” … the ability to understand and effectively apply various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing. Financial literacy helps individuals become self-sufficient so that they can achieve financial stability.” (Source – https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financial-literacy.asp)
Teaching our children financial literacy.
How can we be the change we want to see in our
communities?
By identifying an issue we are passionate about and initiating
a project/program to make a difference in this issue (e.g. nutritious school meal
programs; animal welfare; homelessness)
By identifying an existing group or organization that
is championing an issue we feel passionate about and contributing our relevant
knowledge, skills and/or our financial resources to that organization or group.
How can we be the change we want to see in our work?
If we see issues we feel strongly about that are not
being handled effectively in our workplaces (e.g. gender inequality, need for
diversity training … ), we may observe and collect data to support our case and
identify others within the setting to support us to make a case to management.
If we own our own businesses we may choose to donate
our time and/or money to an organization whose work we value (such as a group
that is pro zero waste, sustainability, women’s rights … )
If we own our own businesses we may choose to develop
and offer workshops and keynotes to public and private sector organizations on
topics of interest and expertise such as: diversity and inclusion training,
change management, feminine leadership.
Now, over to you. What suggestions do you have for how you and
others can “be the change” you want to see in your households, communities,
workplaces …?
Our beliefs influence our
perceptions (how we see the world), and our behaviors. Dr. Bruce Lipton’s work,
a stem cell biologist and author of The
Biology of Belief[1],
provides strong evidence that we can change the character of our lives by
changing our beliefs. How powerful and empowering is that!
As a leader you have the power
to choose what you believe and the ability to influence others in your
organization, the groups you belong to, and in your families.
It is important to be aware of
our core beliefs and to consistently walk our talk so people feel safe, trust
us and are aware of what is expected of them. I will share some of my core
beliefs from leading and managing in a variety of organizations and cultures for
the past three decades, with the hope that you may connect with them and also
gain some clarity on the core beliefs that guide you as a leader.
Core Beliefs:
We are all interconnected.
You may have heard that when a
butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazon, two years later it can result in a
tornado in Kansas. The butterfly effect[2]
has demonstrated that a small change in one area can result in powerful future
outcomes in another. If you as a leader believe in an organizational culture
that focuses on people, understanding and collaboration, you have the power to
shape and change the organization based on how you treat and respond to people
and challenging situations daily. How you communicate with others has an impact
throughout the organization and beyond. We all have heard about the
disheartened employee who has gone home and kicked his dog or beaten his wife.
I invite you to “try out” this
belief and have it in the forefront of your mind when you interact and
communicate with others on a daily basis in your workplace, community, and
family. Notice how this affects your interactions, the organizational morale
and environment.
We are all the same. We
all want to be respected, valued, to feel safe, secure and to belong.
When living and working in
Afghanistan eight years ago, I was sitting in the rose garden of the Ministry
of Public Health eating lunch with one of my female Afghan colleagues when
there was a powerful explosion. Within seconds of the huge blast, my Muslim
colleague was phoning each of her family members to ensure that they were all
safe. I think most of us would have done the same. We all value family and care
about those close to us. The explosion was from a number of suicide bombers
entering the military hospital across the road. The result was the senseless
deaths of a number of Afghan patients and their families, and medical students.
I have enjoyed managing and
consulting in a number of culturally diverse and uncertain environments, and
believe my effectiveness has been largely due to the belief that we are all
the same. When you view everyone through the lens of that belief, you are
able to connect with them, and work effectively whether or not you speak their
language or have the same cultural background or religion. In Afghanistan using
participatory processes, I was able to collaboratively develop/co-create the
first strategic plan with the Ministry of Public Health, and have it pass
through all the policy layers and be signed off by the Minister within 9
months.
I invite you to experiment
tomorrow and try throughout your day to view everyone you see through the lens
and belief that “we are all the same”, whether it be a homeless person, a
colleague you have a tense relationship with, or a family member you have
difficulties relating to. Try this and notice what you notice.
Nature connects me with my soul.
Did you know that when you walk
in forests, it reduces your blood pressure, reduces your heart rate and
increases the number of natural killer cells your body produces (i.e.
strengthens your immune system)? Based on longitudinal research, the Japanese have
institutionalized forest bathing or forest therapy. In their highly
competitive culture, they encourage and support people to regularly visit
centers in forests throughout Japan to forest bathe, and they continue to
collect powerful longitudinal data on its valuable effects.
I encourage you to spend time in
nature for 30 minutes or more at least 3 times a week. When I spend time in
nature I feel relaxed, energized, happy and free. My stress is reduced (if I’m
having a particularly stressful day). If as leaders we are committed to
spending regular time in nature, do you think it would positively impact our
effectiveness?
Life is an adventure to be lived to the
fullest.
Based on this belief, I’ve led
an adventurous and full life so far [and hope to continue doing so!]. I’ve
lived and worked in the mountains of northern Colombia with peasant farmers in
the late 80s when Pablo Escobar was “running around” and the Medellin Cartel
was in full swing. I’ve lived and worked in Kabul, Afghanistan for 13 months
from October 2010 to November 2011 (a volatile and uncertain time), and managed
large multi-stakeholder projects in Pakistan and Nigeria where corruption is
rampant and violence can erupt at any time.
When I don’t have adventure in
my life I get restless and feel unfulfilled, and I either seek out adventure or
it serendipitously comes my way. Similarly, if contribution and making a
positive difference in the world is one of your core values[2] and you work in an organization that is
“all about the money”, over time you will likely feel unhappy and unfulfilled.
This will affect your personal and your work life.
Embracing change is a creative
process that opens me up to new possibilities.
These are times of massive
change and uncertainty. We have a choice to either embrace or to resist change.
When we view change as a threat and believe it is to be feared, this has
negative impacts on our bodies, our minds, our relationships, our organizations
and on our bottom lines. However, when we believe “embracing change is a
creative process that opens us up to new possibilities”, it has positive
impacts on our bodies, our minds, our relationships, our organizations and on
our bottom lines.
To learn more about this and proven strategies for embracing change, I invite you to download and read “The Art of Change Framework: A Guide to Embracing Personal and Organizational Change” from the homepage of https://pamela-thompson.com/).
What
beliefs guide and support you as a leader?
I welcome your thoughts and comments
below.
[1] Lipton, B. H., The Biology of Belief – Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter
& Miracles. New York City: Hay House, Inc.
