This month I guess my focus was a little bit futuristic as I read so many things that challenged my thinking about the future of living, the world, the systems we are part of. The question that was stuck in my mind was how do we approach the dynamic nature of life and increasing complexity of the world as human beings, as organisations and as a society?
Read below for two practices that help us be more aware and conscious about the crazy world around us and our place in it, two stories that help us identify what is our role and true call to contribute in the society, three perspectives and trends about the future of business and the organisations we will be creating in the future, one overview of the changes that are happening on a global scale.
The power of stillness
Sometimes the life moves so fast and crisis, challenges and opportunities are flying all around us in a tornado of chaos. When things are happening so quickly we have this need to react as soon as possible. The world is collapsing and we need to take action now! There is no time for too much thinking, talking or waiting. Take action now! This urgency is ever more present in situations like the refugee crisis. Unfortunately, this intensity leaves us without space to look at the big picture, to consider the importance and relevance of different actions. The summary of this great conversation around happiness and the importance of slowing down explains the “Take action now” discourse in a very simple way
“Why do you want to build a hospital? That takes years! You should do surgeries right now in the street!”
The conversation goes on with all the distractions that come in the chaos where we don’t have practice to slow down, stand still and consider the complete story of a situation. We start to help people, and we get derailed by conflict of ego, corruption and human shortcomings. Stillness allows us to rid ourselves of emotions, distractions and to stand in the eye of the storm – conscious and aware of the direction it may take and powerful enough to disrupt the system.
“If 15 minutes of stillness change the 23 hours and 45 minutes left in your day, including your sleep and your human relations, it seems to be worthwhile.”
Postcards from the edge of consciousness
If we talk about stillness, this is a description of the experience when you drive it towards the extreme. The article tells a story about what happens with our body and minds when our senses get almost completely blocked and we are left only with the presence with our selves and our minds. There is research, there is torture there is practice of mindfulness. I cannot explain it, you must read it. It is mind-blowing!
Fining your passion and true calling
An essay and a talk that address the identity crisis we face as the children of 21st century. We are convinced that we can be whatever we want to and there is this special mission, passion and identity that is meant for us . All we have to do is to find it out and claim it to be successful. The crisis comes when we cannot find the one right thing for us. I don’t know if I want to be a teacher, an entrepreneur, a stylist, a writer or a dancer, or something else. How do I know which is the ONE thing that is meant for me? Fear not, it is actually not as simple as people say it is and it is ok to not know and to be many things at the same time. I finally understood that it is not about who I am or who I want to be, it is about what I already do fearlessly, enthusiastically, and lightly. Read on for a completely different take on finding your passion and profession!
A little bit romance, organisations of the future, and customer trends
This conference was surprisingly inspirational! I had to write an article about it and to my surprise the main talks were about the need of more purpose, humanity and new organisational structures that address the needs of our world as a whole system and much less about. It was great to discover how technology makes possible the materialisation of sharing economy, the exponentially growing organisations demand more self-organising structures and new value system in business and the extreme digitalisation of our lives invites us to reflect on the need of intimacy, emotions and presence with each-other. These new trends change the expectations and mindsets of people on a global scale and somehow it seems to be in the right direction. Read below!
There is something extraordinary happening
As I said, things are shifting in the world, there are new connections, dynamics and complexities created by technology and globalisation. This article outlines some of them in a beautiful and simple way. Education, new forms of spirituality, health, sharing economy, collaboration, business, employment – all the global trends described in the article are a reflection of those new mindsets. It is no longer cool to smoke, it is cool to be vegan. It is not cool to work in a soul-sucking corporation, it is cool to be entrepreneur and freelancer. It is cool to care, to be mindful, to collaborate and share. Is our orientation starting to shift towards better living rather than money-making? What do you think?
I am so grateful for your article.Thanks Again. Fantastic. Ertley