Joy and Balance

Being the Change You Wish to See in the World: A Different Kind of Resolution

Scott Mills, Ph.D.

Making radical changes in our lives often come from seemingly small places.  In a call catching up with a good friend the other day she told me that this year she was creating the possibility for herself to be joy.   She had shifted her thinking around joy from something to be acquired (outside herself) to something to be lived (always accessible).  This small change in thinking embodies the words of Gandhi when he said “to be the change you want to see in the world” and it provides a powerful example to us all.  Changing our perspective can change our lives overnight.

A Big Enough Vision to Succeed!

“Learn to recognize the counterfit coins          
 That may buy you just a moment of pleasure,
 But then drag you for days
 Like a broken man
 Behind a farting camel.” Hafiz

Scott Mills, Ph.D.

For many of us, our world has become quite small. In the midst of the great global information highway and multinational corporations, the possibility of eating foods from around the world in our own backyard, and instant news casts telling us of the latest from the smallest corners of the globe, we have gotten lost. It isn’t hard to feel powerless and nearly invisible in this world. What can you do that really matters? So we go about living small lives and hope someone else will do something to save us. Margaret Mead is famous for saying, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” We still have the power to change the world even if only one person at a time. Having a big enough vision for ourselves creates the space to do that.

Economic Disaster Predicted! Stop Listening to the Economists and Start Enjoying Life

In yet another report on the downward spiral of the economy, CNN reported Saturday that there will probably be more jobs lost as the economy gets worse in 2009.  Strangely, most economists didn't seem to be able to predict this recession when we were already a year into it.  They had no idea that almost overnight major companies like Lehman Brothers and AIG would risk going out of business.  So why do we think they have any better capacity to see the future now?  Why are we letting their negative picture of the world be the very air we breathe?  It's time for us all to turn off the TV, look away from the internet, put down the paper, and start living our lives again.

I am not suggesting that we pretend that we are not in the middle of a financial crisis.  We all know that times are very hard.  But in the midst of this crisis we are being offered a profound opportunity to reflect on what is really important to us.   And we have the opportunity to imagine and create a future that includes those things that we truly value.

In conversations with friends and colleagues, I keep hearing the same things lately.   All this consumerism that has been driving us is not what makes us happy.   All you have to do is turn on the radio and you'll know that we are a country obsessed with love (and umbrellas for some reason).  We value human relationships, caring, connecting and loving one another.   We value the families we are born into and those that we create for ourselves.  And we value this beautiful planet that we call home.

For individuals, research repeatedly tells us that the future that we imagine is the one that we are most likely to head towards.   In part, this is because we look for opportunities that will lead us there both consciously and subconsciously.  If we know we want to go to the park but aren't sure exactly how to get there, we can begin to ask people for directions, look for maps, do internet searches, wander in the right direction.   I am convinced that the same is true for us culturally.  Throughout American history, when we have set our collective hearts and minds on a goal, we have moved toward it.  So let's imagine a future for this country that is worth living.

For my part, I will stop listening to the economic projections that seem to be based more in fantasy than reality and begin to envision a country where everyone has work that they love, where everyone has love that fills them up, and everyone has a passion that sustains and drives them.  What's your vision for our country?  What will you imagine bringing into our world?  I would love to hear your ideas!

Scott Mills,Ph.D. is a life coach and consultant working to create passion, purpose and power in the lives of extraordinary people just like you. You can read more of his blogs or find out more about him at www.joyandbalance.com