I had the privilege yesterday of attending a workshop sponsored by Be the Change, partnering with the Pachamama Alliance. The titles of the components of the day were Where are we?  How did we get here? What’s possible for the future? and Where do we go from here?

The first two sections are sobering, to say the least.  I found myself sad and scared… scared for the people, the amazing animals we’ve decimated, scared about the inequity, scared and sad for the mess we’re creating for our children and grandchildren…   You know the litany.  I also felt great love — for the planet, its creatures, us all.  But I have to say, the sadness and fear were on top at first.

I was unprepared for the deep inspiration and motivation and hope I felt when, in the second half of the workshop, we were vividly reminded of how events that changed our world radically and permanently, have happened more quickly than we could have imagined. Think about the crumbling of the Iron Curtain, the fall of Apartheid!  Changes that seemed impossible. or that we thought would take many lifetimes, happened in days, months.  The tipping point just happened, because a critical mass, and it doesn’t need to be large, just says, NO.  Or YES!  (Not that the work is all done.  There’s clearly lots more work needed.  But big changes CAN happen quickly.

And the critical mass is building, for a sustainable future, for a just society, for economic and ecological sanity.  Millions of organizations worldwide are already at work — this is another hugely inspiring circumstance.  And we can all be part of it.  Have been, will be, and are.  Pick an area near and dear to your heart.  Consider working with others, and setting up a plan with accountability.  Get this:  the likelihood that we will actually carry out our intentions go from 10%, when we just think about it, to 95%, when we work with others, within a time frame, and with accountability.  This method is called Action Circles.  Google the term, be inspired and motivated, and let’s keep building the momentum!

Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity.  BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, andgrowth.  Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume.  Follow me on Twitter, let’s be friends on Facebook :-)

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