A Meaningful Vision
A vision is a call to become something meaningful. Helen Keller observed “The most pathetic person in the world is some one who has sight but no vision.”
We are living in the midst of mass opportunity. We don’t need to be disrupted when we came here to be powerful creators.
While we are creating new tools and technologies at exponential speeds, our canvas of opportunity has nothing to do with leading with them. And everything to do with our ability to step into our power. The planet will be perfectly fine without us; it might even thrive.
So, this is our time to become aware of letting go of fear and suffering and understanding what’s stopping us. And then simply, get out of our own way. I have learned firsthand through many experiments that not everyone is ready. But for anyone who is, this is a golden time.
Opportunities to Imagine
This is a time to discover our own wonder and what we are made of, trek into the unknown and trust our hearts.
When we ask what is it that we need holistically, we begin to create a meaningful vision that we can act on. But we need to question everything and carry a healthy dose of curiosity, imagination and courage to think and trust our vision of what’s possible during our lifetime.
Imagine hundreds of millions of dollars, and maybe even a few billions, flowing toward the construction of the emerging, healthy world. It would be the beginning of an exciting transformational change that would spark us to trek into the unknown. And it is so possible when we have vision and a willingness to explore new horizons.
There are pioneers already constructing foundations and gathering co-creators around many shared passions but integrated funding continues to be an opportunity for our invention. We have an opportunity to architect healthy economic models based on true collaboration and trust in the emerging world where there is no need for conflict and division.
There is so much that we can create when we have the resources we need—be it imaginative and curious people, structures, funding and resources we have yet to imagine. What if we had an ability to wake up every morning and be excited about our creations—whether they are technological, biological (children and families), or environmental? What would we create now?
Where Are We Today?
Today, there are so many ideas already in motion but everyone is fighting each other for a share of the pie. There is little coordination. And we live in a world where the winner takes all. Who doesn’t want to be the next poster child in a hero society?
We continue to pour billions of dollars into fixing or alleviating the problems created by the current systems of health, government, education, fashion, business, and all the rest.
Even in the non-profit sector, there is an expectation of growth rather than actualizing the mission and shutting down when the organization meets its goals. When will we finally eradicate childhood hunger? Definitely not by 2030 as we have not addressed the opportunity of never having a child go to bed hungry. We stay mired in the problems and throw more and more money at solutions.
Our systems are so broken, that there are always more to feed and systems to fix. There is also an endless expectation of measuring returns and complying with the metrics de jour.
We are wasting so much energy debating how we work—should we work four days a week, have three day weekends or have servant leadership? It’s the same story, different channel, over and over. Our opportunity is to ask: what is work and how do we increase our quality of life while we are here? What is it that we actually need? And when do we walk away from restrictive, compliant systems?
There are also many philanthropists today, who rely on tax receipts, for their “giving” strategy and non-profits who depend on this system. We have billionaires getting the spotlight and our attention only because of their hero status (and bank accounts).
Vision Sparks Creation
What if in the new world, we no longer held titles like philanthropists, impact investors or experts? Can we create systems that are self-managed and everyone has an ability to contribute to a shared mission? In this scenario, there is a focus on what we are creating with open dialogue and abundant curiosity of what’s possible.
Imagine a blank canvass of creation, what would you want? Can you let go of all the stories about how systems should be and imagine the ones that would support you, your community and our environment?
What if we asked kids these questions and actually listened? Can you imagine what we may learn? And, what would truly excite us?
Imagine conscious visionaries, pioneers, designers, architects, economists, lawyers, artists, and all kind of creators finding each other based on what we care about, connecting and co-creating what we need. In this new world, we are fully aware that transformation takes time but we are committed to chipping away at a rock purposefully until the opportunity reveals itself.
It’s Up to Us
Our world needs healthy systems and it’s up to us to gather like never before, openly imagine and dream together—letting go of the chains of the past or the need for certainty. Why? Because until we do, not much will change. We will continue to shift the deck chairs on a wobbly ship. And we all know how this story ends.
Perhaps all of us, as well as people with wealth, will come to understand that we have an opportunity to create a healthy world and we can each play a significant role? In this world, we no longer give but contribute. There’s no need to “give back” because we didn’t take anything in the first place. What if there was equal access to healthy food, lodging clean air and water? Maybe instead of healthcare there is holistic wellbeing that takes into account our four bodies? And how we learn and share shifts away from traditional education?
And in all these scenarios, the investor becomes as important as the architect because we need both to construct healthy systems. We construct healthy stories where we create unity; not more division and separation. And by the way, this is not a fantasy; it is already happening when conscious leaders create the path of opportunity.
When we tap into our hearts, we experiment until our creation meets our needs. We create for ourselves and each other—there are no consumers in this new world to pitch and influence. WE celebrate ourselves and each other; no pedestals or podiums required to preach.
Gathering and Creating Together
Maybe the billionaires of the future will not be people but living systems? Perhaps we will want to enjoy life instead of live to work at a job that drains us? When we consider our health holistically, depression and burn out may be eradicated.
Our work may be so much fun and so fulfilling that we might invent a brand new word or remember an ancient one that describes this new state of being.
It’s time to begin to think about how we create a sacred economy, where hundreds of millions of dollars are just the seed of the first phase of constructing the emerging world. Vision and integration are key.
But if we don’t question, put a stake in the ground and invest, we will continue on this same unhealthy path. And, quite honestly, we came here at this time in history to be the architects of humanity; not its victims.
A Call to Action
When you feel called, question, start conversations, plant seeds and see your mission as tapping into your wildest imagination and creating like never before―big or small is all up to each of us. We have free will. But there is no time like the present to begin.
Maya Angelou reminds us that “if you are always trying to be normal, you’ll never know how amazing you can be.”
We have only scratched the surface of what’s possible.
Words come to life when we live what we mean and create in tandem. The roads are being created as we speak. Which path is calling you to discover your wonder and trust your heart to connect with people who share your passion?
Isn’t this the most amazing time to tap into abundant resources and focus them on our greatest opportunities in an experience-based economy led by conscious leaders (us)? The future is here and this is our time to act. There is always beauty for anyone willing to experience a meaningful life.