The World is Changing

Global Awakening

We are in a period of major transition. The world is changing. The world's values, economics, and consciousness are shifting. Some call this the next step in our evolution as a human race, or a global awakening - we're moving beyond the last technology leap into an increasing awareness of our inter-relatedness and connectedness.

Money and Status

Currently our culture is heavily focused on money and status. But do you feel it? The urge to have more meaning, more passion, more impact, more purpose? We want to contribute, to offer our skills and unique gifts in service to the world, but still create a life of prosperity.

The old way of just accumulating 'stuff' no longer does it for us. We are beyond just needing to survive, and now want to nurture our higher aspirations.

But how do we do it? There are few road maps out there to show us the way.

Women are the future

I believe women are the creators of the future.

Now, to be clear, I have nothing against men. They have had great influence and impact over centuries in our society, and a lot of that has created positive strides, particularly in science and technology. But I believe that now is the time of women. Now is our time to step into our power.

Our generation, like none before, can build on the successes and victories of our mothers and grandmothers. We are living recipients of the benefits of the feminism and racism movements. We CAN do anything. Sure, there are many many glass ceilings and not nearly enough women in power. But why is that? Maybe one reason of many is that women are not choosing to follow men up their power structures and into the established corporate world.

Maybe some women, and some men too of course, can see the need for a new way of being. A way where the world is starting to heal, where our damage to the earth is reversed and regeneration begins. A world where society becomes more just and equitable and all people can live in equality and peace and prosperity.

Imagine a world where people are engaged in worthwhile work that helps the world to thrive

Imagine a world where people everywhere are equal and can live in peace and prosperity and equality.

Where the world and its environment and creatures are on the road to healing.

Imagine if everyone's efforts were directed towards the greater good.

Imagine if this was you too.

I Believe

That our world desperately needs a shift where more and more of us are spending our time and efforts daily on creating this new world.

That this is the time for such a shift. Our society is maturing sufficiently to allow this new consciousness to arise. We are already seeing a rise in companies that have social good built in to their very reason for existence, with B corporations and for-profit Social Enterprises.

That we, as women who are looking for more meaning in our lives, are the ones who will lead this radical society change.

These are exciting times!

I believe it is part of my contribution to foster this process. If you are excited about being part of this process too, check out our website All The Right Places. I am creating a resource that is useful to us women seeking to begin helping the world to thrive. I'd love to hear from you, use the 'Contact us' tab on the website.

'Work That Matters' means what anyway?

How do we know we are doing work that matters?

How can we tell that the work we are doing is work that matters? How do we define 'Matters'?

Probably the answer to this depends a lot on your personal values and culture and society - so a religious group is going to define it differently to a close-knit tribal society, or an autonomous and freedom-seeking modern urbanite. But here is how some others have defined it.

In a study of ethical work Garner, Csikszentmihalyi and Damon defined 'Good Work' as "work of expert quality that benefits the broader society".

The Pachamama Alliance talk about "bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet".

Buddha: "Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others."

Lao Tzu: "If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence".

Rumi: "Your work is to discover your world, and then with all your heart give yourself to it."

I think 'Work That Matters' is work that helps the world to thrive, that makes the world a better place for everyone. I think that giving, not getting, is the way forward. And that many of us want to contribute to something meaningful and purposeful in this way.

Imagine: What if everyone was engaged in work that matters?

Imagine: What if you were?

Living with Passion and Soul

Your purpose in life is to live with passion and choice and soul. Sounds easy, right?

Well, let's unpick this a bit to see how. There are lots of different areas in our lives. So, does this mean your hobbies? Your relationships? Your recreation? Your work?

Hobbies are not so hard, most people do hobbies that are aligned with their soul because, why bother otherwise? It's a hobby, totally optional and done for fun. So you like to quilt. Or garden. Or play the flute. It's your happy place, when time flows, and you enjoy it. You doing it with passion and choice and soul.

But where do you spend the most time? Where do you put the most productive effort? I would be picking that it is at work. So, how do you live a life of passion and soul at work? This is the essential question I think. And there are several different strategies, that fall basically into the following categories:

1. Make your current job better

2. Change jobs to a better one

3. Start your own business

4. Do things out of work hours that compensates for lack of soul in your job

So, I think each of these deserves a bit of investigation, and in the next few blog posts I'll dive a bit deeper into each.

How to Live a Life you are Proud of

OK, so you have applied the Life Regret Test, and are making choices that won't be disappointing to your 90 year old self.

But what about the advanced version? The Rocking Chair Test? Is it enough to just not regret your life? I don't think so. I would like to thrive, to have a life that I am proud of when I look back at 90 from my rocking chair.

And have you bought into the story that you need to find your 'thing', so you can do that, and then you will be proud? If only you could just find that 'thing' then you know you will be OK at 90.

But maybe its not actually like that. Maybe, to be proud of your life at 90, you just need to do things that are aligned with your soul and values. You need to live with passion. Each choice in your life can be weighed against "does this feel good and right for me?" rather than "what is the special meaning of my life and how do I do that?".

Wouldn't that be so much easier? And what if it is true? Well, then, let's get started! There's no 'thing' to search for, each choice is a 'do' or 'don't do' and you can do it right now.  Like, RIGHT NOW. No waiting to find your purpose, but your purpose is here. And it is to live with passion and choice and soul.

How to Avoid a Life of Regret

This one I call 'The Life Regret Test'. Or maybe 'The Rocking Chair Test'.

So, you are faced with many choices, on a day-to-day basis. And each of these choices add up to life directions. And some of these life directions are just what you are hoping for. And some are not. Some might even seem like a backwards move.

You know, that job that you took that turned out to totally suck, the boss who had no morals, and the client who was the devil's spawn. That type of bad choice. But...you have to pay the bills, maybe this is all you can get, maybe its all you are good enough for...?

Or the little choices...do you have a hissy over that thing that he said, because it is just so wrong and disrespectful? Well, maybe.... How to tell?

And this is where the Life Regret Test comes in. It works like this:

Imagine you have survived and made it all the way to 90. Sitting in your rocking chair contemplating your life. Is this 'thing' that you are wondering about, did it turn out to be important? Do you regret making a decision this way? Or what about if you make it the other way?

Some things will turn out to be totally meh, of no consequence at all, probably not worth even stewing over. Some will be huge - that job you might stay in, or not - and have large impacts. Others will be acts of love, or ego - your choice. Which will you be most proud to remember as a 90 year old? Which will register on your Life-Regretometer?

Your Life's Purpose

Have you felt, all your life, that you have a greater purpose? You know, that sort of purpose that only you can do. That you alone have been sent here to perform, and if you mess it up there is a hole in the world caused by your failure to perform. Your unique talents and skills and passion and ... yes, purpose. Pressure much!

And if only you could figure out exactly what it is, then off you'll go, lala, into the sunset to do it, living happily ever after, following your passion, doing the one thing that you are destined to do. Or not, leaving the world without your specific, necessary contribution.

Yes, so have I. How insidious it is, that feeling that I am so special there is a particular, predestined thing that I must achieve before I die. Quick, quick, better get on it then, right now!

Well, what if that is all a lot of bunkum? What if living your purpose is not so much about finding the one thing, that preordained specific thing, but about living with passion and vigour, following the moment, allowing things to unfold and choosing those things that resonate with your inner soul. Wouldn't that feel so much better?

So, I'm going to explore this in posts that follow, see what unfolds, and where that might leave us destiny seekers. Could be quite a journey.