I went through a course from Pachamama Alliance called “Awakening the Dreamer,” a prerequisite for an activist training course I signed up for.
Near the end, I was asked, “Identify and write down the actions you will take to express your commitment to creating a thriving, just, and sustainable future.
And, for added effectiveness, include the date by which you will complete the action.”
My response has a lot to do with who I am, who I have been, who I hope to become, and why I do what I do. I’m sharing it in full:
- Continue to work on immigration justice through Jewish Activists for Immigration Justice (ongoing since 2019).
- Continue my career path of showing business that meaningfully addressing climate change, hunger/poverty, racism/otherism, war, etc. through core products, services, and mindset can be a success path (ongoing since 2003).
- Continue to nurture democratic impulses in my own town/region and help some of them run for local office (ongoing since 1983).
- Continue using my writing, speaking, and organizing skills to spotlight important issues locally, regionally, nationally, and globally (ongoing since 1972)–and strengthening these skills through continuous learning (which is why I signed up for this training).
- Continue to be an activist who shows up to make a difference and be counted whenever practical (and sometimes when it’s not).
- Continue to act on my belief that each of us can make a difference, and that difference is greatly amplified by working with others.
- Continue to celebrate the victories I help achieve or passively support.
- Continue to find ways to evolve as a person: to be more supportive of others, to recognize barriers others may face, and to face new experiences with gratitude and enjoyment.
None of these have completed-by dates. Most will not be completed in my lifetime.. I will do this work as long as I can.
<End of my response>
Three quick takeaways I want to leave you with:
- Each of us can have an impact, especially if we go about our work with focus and determination
- That work is amplified when we collaborate with others in an organized way
- We are all growing and changing and evolving–ideally, into our best selves; that journey never stops
For the past few years, I’ve been doing Chris Brogan’s exercise of picking three words to guide my year. In 2020, they were Clarity (20/20 vision), Justice, and (perhaps presciently) Healing. Last year, Rethink, Pivot, Transform.
This year, I’ve picked a single word after reading this article by my friend and mentor Sam Horn. My Word for the Year is EVOLVE–and it’s an acronym:
Enthusiasm
Vision
Optimism
Leverage (getting my message in front of more influencers, and more people generally)
Victories along the way (which we achieve through both small and large steps toward a more just, eco-friendly society)
Evolution (a better world)
And how are you framing YOUR 2022? May it be a blessed one for you your loved ones, and all of us.
