How we can move through this time of change

September is a time for new beginnings of all kinds. Even if you were not among those fortunate to have been able to get away this summer, or if life feels like a long string of similar days, there’s a shift that most of us feel after Labor Day.

Interconnected themes and inspiration have been showing up for me recently, that I am glad to share. 

7 things I am thinking about in this time of transition

1. We can choose optimism or pessimism. 

In his sermon on Rosh Hashana (the Jewish holiday to welcome the Jewish new year), our rabbi talked about optimism and pessimism. He pointed out that both can exist simultaneously, and that both can be motivators to take action. I would add that we always get to choose the frame for how we want to look at the world.

2. A broken heart can fuel passion. 

I heard the heartbreaking news about Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death just after our Rosh Hashana evening service ended on Friday night. RBG was a giant of a woman who was fearlessly and passionately committed to work for equality and justice. We have the opportunity, and responsibility, to continue the work she advanced with so much grace, talent, tenacity and determination.

3. We have agency and we can take action. 

It’s easy to fall into despair when there are so many big issues on our minds. Regardless of the frame we chose as motivation (optimism or pessimism), when we think about what great people like Ruth Bader Ginsberg were able to accomplish, we can step up and take action to make this a better world. While few of us will have an opportunity like sitting on the Supreme Court, all of us can take action. History offers us many examples about how the combined efforts of great numbers of people have brought meaningful change to the world. 

4. When you look for it, you can find inspiration. 

I heard Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us podcast with Sonya Renee Taylor yesterday, talking about the book The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love. The conversation they had about this book was mind-expanding. Taylor takes the concept of self-love, that I teach in my work, to remarkable new heights. Opportunities to hear conversations like this can change the frame through which we see and understand the world, and ourselves. 

5. We can create inspiration. 

At my monthly IgNight Creative Evening on Thursday, when we created together on Zoom, the energy was electric. The theme for the evening was “reframing.” We expressed in words, we drew abstract concepts, and we dove into a great way to explore with color. We played and experimented. We shared and inspired one another. The uplifting spirit of the evening made me think about the opportunities we have to bring light and fun into many parts of our lives.

6. There is great power in community. 

The pandemic made it impossible to be with my community for services on Friday and Saturday. It made it impossible to be with family and friends after my mother’s death last month. It made it impossible to have IgNight in my studio. It has made it impossible to meet in person with colleagues and clients. And yet, we have been connected, and we’ve shared in community in new ways. And while some of what we miss when not in the same room is a loss, we have had new benefits. We can now connect with people who are located well beyond what would be possible in person. And the connections are deep and satisfying, even when we only see each other on a screen.

7. The power of love is vast.

Love is the thread that connects and inspires everything in my life. I believe that when we lead with love, when we look at the world through the lens of love, when we take action fueled by love, and when we bring love into everything we do, we live our biggest and best lives. 

How are you moving through this time of change?

What are you seeing and experiencing now? Are you feeling optimistic or pessimistic? Are you inspired to take action in your life? Are you motivated to impact something in the world? 

Drop me a note or leave a comment to let me know.

And if you want to talk about how to bring new inspiration into your life, I invite you to schedule a Live Big Breakthrough Call with me. 

I would be delighted to help you gain insight and clarity about what may be hampering you or changes you are seeking to make, and how you can bring new inspiration and intentional change into your life. 

I look forward to hearing from you.

Stay safe and well, and keep creating.

Do you hear the call?

We have lived through an extraordinary week. 

After the months of challenge and loss (on so many levels) due to the pandemic, the impact of living through this intense week has been remarkable. We have seen uncountable numbers of people show up and speak up to focus on racial justice. 

If you missed reading my call to join forces and become a Creator of Change last week, you can read my article here. 

In short, I wrote that I believe we must act, we must act now, and we must act with love. And it will be our collective action that will have the biggest impact.

If you have reached out to me, thank you. If you have taken action, thank you. If you want to join this effort, thank you — you are welcome!

Change will happen when we commit to acting in great numbers. Some will do more than others. We will all chose the action, or combination of actions that call us and that are realistic for us to commit to. 

And each of us can invite another into this effort, assuring them that even small actions count.

Here’s a great story that serves as an example.

I heard from a woman who described her morning walk on the beach, when she felt an urge to pick up a rock and write “peace + kindness” in the wet sand. She drew an awkward heart underneath. She wasn't sure anyone could even make out what she wrote. 

Having turned to walk back, she saw someone taking photos of her message.

Perhaps those photos will be posted on social media. Perhaps that person will share the story of finding the message with a friend or family member.

This is a lovely example of how even a very small gesture can spread important ideas. 

And, it was notable to me to see how surprising — and inspiring — it was for this woman to realize that her simple small action had touched another person.

What will your action be?

Will you donate to organizations doing work you want to support? 

Will you have a deep conversation with someone, even if it feels uncomfortable? 

Will you volunteer? (I have a colleague who will offer her design skills to amplify the message of an organization with a great cause. Someone wrote to tell me she will drive people to the polls on election day. Volunteering comes in many forms.)

If you need ideas and resources, start here

I have created a new Creators of Change Resource page on my site. It includes great information for educating ourselves, great organizations you can consider supporting, and some inspiration, too. 

It is a start, and I am eager to add to it. Please suggest other resources to help me expand the list. 

And, I welcome you to share the resources with your networks.

Will you join a new conversation?

I am hosting a new Zoom call for those who want to come together to talk about how we will each commit to take action, and to share what we are feeling, what we are learning, and more.

The Creators of Change call will be on Thursday, June 11, 8:30 am eastern.

Register here to join us.

As I wrote last week, when of all of us take some action — and inspire others to do so, too — we can create desperately needed change in our communities, our country and the world.

Leading like this is living big.

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday. And, if you can't be there, hit reply to be in touch.

Stay safe and well, and keep creating.

We must become creators of change

My heart aches. It has ached this way for a long time. 

For so many innocent people who are brutalized and senselessly killed for nothing more than the color of their skin. 

For injustice that has persisted for centuries and runs horribly deep. 

For the countless people in our country whose lives are in peril every day, who live in fear, who are sick, who are impoverished, and who are so often grieving. 

For the terrible division in our country, and knowing that so many people tolerate injustice. 

There is no reason for any of this other than hatred. I cannot accept hatred as normal. It is not normal. It never has been. It is wrong.

We cannot be silent. 
We must not be silent.

We can be creators of change.

Together, we can be a powerful collective force for change.

Will you join me?

Will you take action and be a leader in a movement to create change?

Will you be heard, and be seen?

Will you channel all of your emotion into creating change?

Because if we don’t do something new, nothing will change. 

I have wrung my hands and cried tears so many times in the past. I have taken some action, but not enough.

Now is the time for bold collective action.

We must elect leaders who will work for the change that is needed — from the local level to the top. 
Will you commit to ACT?

We must support programs that will help now, like donating to non-profits that provide bail money (this is one in Massachusetts), and there are many others you can look for. 
Will you commit to ACT?

We must support programs that will have long-term impact, such as the ACLU, programs to end police violence, enrichment programs for inner-city youth, education programs focused on tolerance, job training, and more. 
Will you commit to ACT?

We must act now, and act with love.

And, we can have our biggest impact if we act in concert.

What action — big or small (because a lot of small action adds up!) — can you take to start a bigger movement? A movement of the privileged and the oppressed. A movement fueled by love and not hate.

Let me know what you are already doing, and what you want to do. 

Let me know what resources you have found.

Let me know about ideas you create and new actions you take.

I want to be a force multiplier.

In a week or two, I will create a Zoom call for those of us who are committed to taking action. On this call we’ll have a conversation where we can share our ideas and connect pods of activity.

Together, we can have an impact. 

When of all of us are taking some action — and inspiring others to do so, too — we can create desperately needed change in our communities, our country and the world. 

Let me hear from you about how you want to be a creator of change — or leave a comment here.

Stay safe and well, and keep creating.