Think for yourself. Be critical. Question everything.
Social Media is a double-edged sword. The judgment. Blame. Shaming. Making it easy to express views and ignore the consequences. The impact it may have on our fellow human beings. The game of I am right, and you are wrong. When it becomes a ‘beauty’ contest in some ways. It’s not helpful. For any of us. Then of course there is the other side. That we value. Allows us to belong. To be seen. To be heard.
Like so many, I feel our world turned upside down. Over the past two years and very present with current events today. With an avalanche of emotions. Disbelief. Grief. Fear. Acceptance. At times Gratitude. So, the world, at least my world, shifted dramatically. It’s a process still, yet I feel my lenses are clearer than ever before. More realistic. Perhaps more honest and importantly, continues to be hopeful.
I have a better sense of the bigger picture. I didn’t realise the extent of how interconnected our reality is. How small the world is. The dark side of globalization. The many left behind. Ignorance is not bliss. We need to be informed. Educate ourselves. Do our own research so that we can independently make choices that may serve ourselves, serve humanity, positively.
A coach is objective. Curious. Non-judgmental. Skilled at being present with what is there in the moment. Comfortable with uncertainty and not knowing. Trusting the beautiful process of coaching so that transformation can find its way.
Of course, I have views. I have biases. The difference is, they don’t own me. They are not set in stone. And the more aware and reflective I am, the less influence they have on how I show up. I accept my ignorance. And the more I let go of any need to be ‘right’, the more I evolve. Trust me; it’s an ongoing process!
Coming back to the shaky reality we are all facing. How things have gone sideways in the west. Things we don’t want to face because it’s terrifying. Like tyranny. Manipulation of powers. Information. Freedom. In a world that claims to be democratic. It’s easy to point fingers. Thinking the west is the best thing since sliced bread. The reality is not that simple.
Hunger for control and power. It didn’t happen overnight. It’s nothing new. If we are honest. We all crave some power. Sense of control over our lives. People smarter than me say it is history repeating itself. As much as we want to believe that we are ‘better’ than the generations that came before us. Fought for us. It is more likely, that we are not. So, we need to wake up. This is our only hope. To stop pretending that awful things that are going on in the world will not arrive in our backyard. There may not be a physical war. But there is a war. War for humanity. Kindness. Freedom. Courage. Truth. Equality.
We can all contribute. We contribute through our day-to-day actions. Do our best to be aware, be mindful. Think before we speak. Share our truth. Stop the blame-shame game so that we can stand up for everything that is good about humanity. Look beyond the superficial. Beyond political and corporate interests and agendas. Focus on being kind to ourselves, to our neighbours. No matter their beliefs, no matter where they are at, in their journeys of human evolution.
We create our reality. Everyday thoughts, everyday actions. This is what counts. If we are all willing to sow more seeds of kindness and fewer seeds of inhumanness, we will create a better future every day.
Now is the time to wake up. All of us. For sure, I also have plenty more of waking up to do. It’s not going to be easy. Then again, life is not meant to be easy. Life is messy and allows for advancing our potential. Bettering ourselves. Progress. Compare yourself only to the person you were yesterday.
I am not qualified to speak about what is going on in Ukraine. The history of this country. The political landscape. I have worked with clients who grew up in this country. Like all my clients. These are wonderful human beings. Intelligent. Capable. Kind. Seeking what we all long for: peace, freedom, love, and contribution. I have observed a sense of gratitude and joy in clients from Ukraine and surrounding countries. We tend to appreciate better the things we don’t take for granted. Just like a person who knows what it is like to lose their health will likely appreciate good health, even more, a person who grows up in scarcity may better value and savour the external abundance of modern western life.
I pray that people don’t have to suffer because of tyranny and powers in the hands of the wrong people. Small people that in a fair world would not hold such powers. That’s the thing. The world is not fair. It hasn’t been. Ever. We all feel it today. And we fear it because it feels close. A threat to our western way of living. It is a real threat. There are many threats and precisely why we need to stay awake. Look beyond the obvious. To use our powerful minds and our kind hearts.
There are also many opportunities. Opportunities to grow. To care more. To have more impact. To be closer to nature. Kinder to nature. Kinder to each other. Despite our differences. We owe this to our children. To emerging generations.
If we listen deeply enough. We sense our truth. The truth for most of us is something like this. We want our lives to matter. We want to be useful. We want to belong. Meaning is the red thread of our existence.
So important is to go beyond the noise and listen to your heart, and your gut. Not giving our mind total control.
Yes, there are many things we cannot control. We can control how we react. How we take care of ourselves. Our way of being. Our way of working and communicating with others.
I value the impact coaching allows me to bring to my clients. Infuse them with strength, agency, positive energy, and self-belief. Reminding them just how capable and resilient they really are. Hold up a mirror of the vision they have for their lives and the impact they seek to create.
What has been tremendous support for me also is finding intelligent people who put truth before profit. Individuals who, to the best of their ability, try to make sense of the world openly for the rest of us to benefit. Courageous people. Many of them I call heroes. These are not the so-called ‘elites’ who are untouched by censorship and can ride the narratives. These are people willing to sacrifice a lot to speak their truth. It may not be the truth. I don’t think there is one truth. And once you start to dig, it is messy. To me, it is about the intention behind their words. This is what matters. If the intention is a good one. Well thought through. Informed. Unbiased. Open-minded. As best as possible. Nothing is perfect! This supports me to make better sense of what’s going on. Which personally, I find important. To find courage, consider the future and what it may bring so that I can be part of crafting a better future. Everyday thoughts, words, and actions. This is what counts!
In my humble view, the world is lacking leadership. Lacking conscious leaders. That’s why we need everyday people, forget about titles, forget about prestige.
We need to lead ourselves, lead each other, unite for a better future. We also need to find new ways so that organisations can better balance profit with genuine value-added. Profit and Meaning.
I had to look hard. When I did. This is what I have realised. Behind the mainstream media, there is another world. It´s chaotic and brutal, yet it gives glimpses of the best things humanity has to offer. Because when you look hard enough, you will find lots of everyday heroes out there, across the globe, fighting for a better world. Fighting for every single one of us.
And to you, I say this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
And lastly, a good friend reminded me of this. And it's important. There is a powerful agency in the younger generations. They think differently than many of us. They see the world differently. They bring innovation. Hope. Courage. Brilliant ideas that are critical for a better future. So we need to empower our younger generations. Listen to them, learn from them and guide them forward.
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