Theodore Roosevelt said “Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground.”
Human decency, fairness, justice, kindness and generosity are all ideals. But somehow we consider them ‘soft’ skills versus what we seem to measure and worship—efficiency, productivity and growth.
When we look at the world today, many of our local and global challenges are seeded in division. We have created leaders and followers. Leaders and audiences. Nature and humans. We talk about collaboration and cooperation but they tend to be along divides, which many are now questioning.
And what about all the blame put on greedy politicians, billionaires, bureaucrats and all other corrupt people, while we continue to support and celebrate them? This divide just didn’t happen to us. We are part of this world and there is no one to blame when we step into our power. Yes, we have self-interests, corruption, indecency, injustice and economic profit maximization at play but do we need to continue to feel helpless or do something meaningful? We can choose who we support and consume.
This is not a time to be bound by niceness or politeness at our own expense. It is a time of creation and living our ideals. This is why we are here at this time in history. Isn’t it time to ask ourselves, where can we begin? What can we do?
We need leaders who not only have ideals but are also stewards of action and dialogue. And these leaders are none other than us. We dream, connect and create.
When we clear our minds of limiting beliefs, we make space. And this space is sacred to question:
- What do you love to create and with who?
- What are your ideals?
- What are your virtues?
- What do you practice? Do you walk your talk or criticize and blame?
- How do you show up?
- Who do you surround yourself with?
Just a reminder from December 31, 2021 that the next five years are critical to navigate these ideal times:
July-August 2022:This is a time of creation calling you to a new adventure that you’ve always imagined being part of but never explored. It was always a dream on your vision board that you hoped one day would become real. And here you are, armed with self-confidence, the only one who can make it a reality by taking the first steps.