Choosing How We Respond
Being challenged is an opportunity to see what is possible. And when we have a healthy mindset, we know in our hearts that there is always a way to navigate our path. We may not like what’s in front of us, or feel challenged, but that is simply part of life. To feel deep love, we also feel deep sadness. To feel hope, we may know disappointment. It is part of the human experience.
There is so much questioning going on right now. It is personal and for anyone who is courageous enough, it is about listening and not jumping into judgement, criticism, blame or shame. It is so easy to jump into battle lines and choose a side. But wisdom lies in taking a breath and asking ourselves what truly matters in this lifetime.
In these times, whether you are 17, 27, 47 or 87, there are questions emerging and what we all share is a need to have meaning and know we are enough. In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl, writes, “Between stimulus and response lies a space. In that space lie our freedom and power to choose a response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.”
What if we are not in control of what happens outside ourselves but we can choose how we respond?
Many of us are making very different choices right now about how we live and work. Some people feel a need to have a dependable job that supports their lifestyle and some are prioritizing the need to have an impact. Some of us want greater flexibility in how we work and live and are trying to figure out how to support ourselves in the creation economy while moving to a place where we can grow food and live in community.
Experiencing How We Choose to Respond
Experience has never been more important and this cannot be automated or outsourced.
The new element in design is one of creating experiences. We are living in a time when we can choose to design healthy experiences that put people ahead of profits. Experiences that help us take care of ourselves and each other.
When we focus on what we are creating, the profits will come. And if you are a solopreneur, it may be a struggle for a while since there is so much bullshit about what we should be doing that can be distracting. But when we remember that trust, relationships and community are at the heart of everything, our focus shifts and we transform our challenges into our greatest opportunities. And it takes an investment in unlearning and rewiring ourselves.
During times of possibilities, nothing is more important than making sure we have a grounded, solid foundation from which to leap from. And we are in control of how we are choosing to respond.