‘Tis the season to be changing...

As I think many would agree, 2008 was full of challenges, from food shortages, to accelerated climate change, oil price spikes, to economic downturns, a lot is categorically going-to be honest-quite crap in the world.  But in spite of all this, I actually think 2008 was a damn good year, and I'm extremely thrilled for 2009.  Allow me to connect the dots...

Whether looking at macro issues (as above) or the personal level in my own life, I'm jazzed by the notion that we are at a turning point.  What is also exciting is that a lot of other people are onto it as well.  Not a day goes by without picking up an article, newspaper, blog item, or walking full on into a conversation in progress on the subject of change.  I nominate it for the Celsias word of 2008.

Economy? Change.  Obama? Change.  Climate? Change (should have seen that one coming!).  And wow, progress!  People are even questioning Christmas.  With all this upheaval, of course culture must change.  At this point it is inevitable, and I think it's a damn good thing. 

What really has piqued my interest is that some of the same buzz words keep coming up, ones that I've been enamoured with for some time.  The laundry list reads like this: design, simplicity, creativity, local, global, do-it-yourself, relationships, well-being, for-benefit, genuine progress.  Aiyah, what a LOHAS orgasm, and such music to my ears. 

Change sometimes worries people.  Parting with old ways, identities, things, belongings, jobs...it can be upsetting, especially if some of these take place unexpectedly.  But hey, with flux comes opportunity-- heaps of it.  Every time we have to rethink, remake, redo, reconstruct there is the chance that we will realise some new and better ways.  If you're unhappy in life, just lost your job, or think there is a better way, surprise-- there is.

It is precisely this element of reshaping that couldn't have come at a better time.

From square one, moving outward

As individuals, our lives and homes are connected to those around us in the community.  The communities connect to a larger society.  Society forms nations, and nations in turn form the larger global picture.  How we as a global community behave affects overarching issues like climate change, poverty, and so on.  Want to know the great part?  Actions all starts with you.

And talk about opportunity, right now everything needs reworking.  All our systems, many of our values and motivations, and how we interact with our planet, it all needs an overhaul.  Call it spring cleaning, progressiveness, adaptation, improvement, and if we must dabble with the silly ole' colour palette, call it bright green.  Change it is though.

By choosing to embrace this moment, to shift even something small in your own life, you become an active part of this larger process of change.  It's definitely been the case for me over the course of this year, and I'll get to that shortly.  What's important to realise is that everything you do can have an influence on the other people around you. 

When discussing personal change, colleagues of mine brought these two issues to the forefront:

• How can people be assisted into becoming more comfortable with change?
• What does all this change look and feel like?  What new lifestyle are people stepping into? (or, to put it another way-- What are people belonging to if they change?)

Both of these points reflect how much people's identities are defined by lifestyle and the people around them.  Often people resist change because it's new and unaccepted, "uncool", because they'd be the first to do it, or they wonder what other people might think of them if they did.  Guess what... if everyone is presently obsessed with change, you might be enviable if you're the one leading the charge.  The atmosphere is ripe for it and you might find yourself being a trendsetter. 

So what matters to you at this moment in your life?  Family, friends, relationships?  Quiet time?  Stability?  "Career"?  Your art?  Being more in tune with the world around you?  Some sense of financial security?  Connection with our environment?  These are all broad sweeping categories, but take a moment right now to just think over them and anything else that is nagging at you.  And I would be willing to bet if you sit still long enough, something is nagging you.

Does it feel like your house is in order?  If not, what could use a tweak?  How are you living in the world around you?  How could you make the world a better place?  Big questions, but hey it's either this or re-runs.  Isn't your reality more important than its portrayal on television?  There are answers and solutions out there, both to the immediate concerns you have in your own life, and larger world problems.  Everything in the world is connected, and if you look closely enough, you will find the links and solve the problems.  So it has been in my case and plenty of others.

The living case study of change

About a year ago, I was in an entirely different place as a person.  I was stressed out, working for someone I was not particularly fond of, going in a direction that was ill suited for me (seem familiar anyone?).  I felt like I was working against my values, working myself to death in the process, and somehow doing the world a pretty grand disservice.  Long story short, not a pretty picture, and we won't dwell on the caca.    

And silly me too, I should have known better.  I'd made deliberate, substantial changes in life before, followed voluntary simplicity, and read enough Taoist philosophy to resurrect Lao Tzu.  The moment struck me at 3 a.m. with some stress induced insomnia brought on by work: I simply understood I was on the wrong path and needed to change. 

Well, coming from a design background, and having read about the likes of The Natural Step and Cradle-to-Cradle, I decided to be systematic about the whole thing.  I mean, if I'm going to make some changes, let's be thorough about it and make sure the wheel doesn't get reinvented, right?

I saved some money for a month or two, knowing I would need something to keep afloat with.  The job was definitely going to have to go.  I started asking some useful questions like:

• What was I trying to become in my life? 
• What was I trying to accomplish in the larger scheme of things? 
• How could I live in a way that made a positive impact in a world that has so much going wrong? 

To be honest, some of these questions are still being answered, but what I managed to accomplish in the space of a year was a definitive shift.  I now know I'm on the right path with many of the changes I've made. 

Was it scary to leave a job, even one I didn't like?  Yes.  Was it a relief?  Definitely.  For myself, it freed up time and energy I could spend solving more important concerns, ones that really mattered, ones that would make my life more valuable, more meaningful, and put me in a position to help me do my bit to make the world a better place.  Who doesn't want to be happy and feel like they are doing the right thing?

Moving from that place, it amazed me that the rest fell into place faster than anticipated.  Once I had an idea of what I wanted, what was right for me, and where I wanted to go, the rest was surprisingly straight forward.  Getting my own personal values in order was step one.  Some like to say that you attract whatever vibe you put out into the world.  So true in my experience. 

Taking those values further, in a matter of months, I'd gotten together a business concept, fleshed out a plan, roped a few clients (to my surprise, some actually came looking for me), and managed not to go bankrupt.  For anyone who has perhaps just been laid off, or has been eyeing new opportunities along the lines of the "green economy", people the time is right- go for it.  It's a brave new era. 

One thing I've realised is that the world is practically handing out new opportunities.  Earth is trying to solve its own problems through one of the most dynamic processes ever seen by the human race.  People just have to look in a different way to find solutions.  There's a bit of action necessary, a bit of soul searching along the way.  The industrial era was a poor experiment and its time for a new approach. 

Back to the big picture

So now, nearly a year on, my own world is pointed in a different direction than before.  I'm working to take life on my own terms, to influence daily decisions on both a personal level, and also through my business... you might already see where this line of thought is going.

I've tried to align my personal direction and my career focus with my values and move outward from there-friends, family, community, locally, and globally through sites like Celsias.  Changes for me include things like having a lower environmental impact, putting people and human relationships first, cutting carbon, tossing out consumerism, communicating positive solutions... the list goes on. 

It's my hope that in 2009, life will continue to change along with the times-and for the better.  Two things are clear: I don't have all the answers, but I know I've finally pointed myself in the right direction.  As part of that process, I'd really like to let other people know that change can be a damn good thing, that risks are worth taking, and that the only way we are ever going to make progress on big, daunting issues like global warming is if we individually start by doing our bit.  And that doesn't mean just changing light bulbs, it means our approach to life.    

To tie up, I stumbled upon something written 2500 years ago, oddly appropriate for our times and this little treatise:

"Cultivate the inner self, its power becomes real.

Cultivate the home, its power becomes abundant.

Cultivate the community, its power becomes greater.

Cultivate the organisation, its power becomes prolific.

Cultivate the world, its power becomes universal."

(Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching)

Change is indeed in the air, the potential is incredible, and the initiator is you.  Make 2009 the next step forward to a better future.

[Editor's note: If you're on a similar path, I'd like to hear about it.  On Celsias, we're keen to share personal case studies and examples from experience.  Likewise, we'd like to know what you think of this angle, so please leave your comments.] 

Related Reading:
Growing Lush Landscapes and New Behaviour
Anticipating Change: Building a Sanctuary for the Future