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Hello , I hope you are well? Out of respect for Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth I have delayed this scheduled broadcast to the Tuesday - it just feels right to do this.) So back to Climate Focus - I am saying a bit more about ways we can undertake Reconciliation/Reconnection in the context of Deep Adaptation. Then I'll share some more insights and understanding from Kimberley Hare, who does fantastic work in the climate space, based on Three Principles - see the link
to another of my newsletters for an overview of what this means. Reconciliation/Reconnection 5
We've been looking at
aspects of each of the 4Rs of Deep Adaptation which considers ways we might best live with the enormous disruption that we are
now seeing with climate change. Today I'd like to remind us, including myself, of the value of Gratitude.
There's an old saying, 'count your blessings', and research has
shown that this attitude is one of the cornerstones of positive psychology and that it is measurably good for you. (Here's just one link to say why - there are millions more!).
When we feel overwhelmed with the scale of the climate emergency
it can be very helpful to focus back into the moment and really see what we still do have to be grateful for. A really nice way to do this is to write on slips of paper each evening, three things you are grateful for that day, and then get them out and read them again a few weeks or months down the line. What comes to mind for you, today?
One of my favourite images of how the Three
Principles work is the Snow Globe. You know those little Christmassy things where you shake them up and all the snow swirls about and you can't see Santa and his reindeer, the fir trees or anything. And there's nothing you can do to see them again, other than wait for the snow to settle, and then you can see everything. Our minds are like this. We can be full of chattering thoughts, worries, fears, all generated from the inside out by our (amazing) brains, and we feel all frazzled and upset. Yet if we just do
nothing, let those thoughts go, our minds will calm and reset, and we can see the clarity that was always there. It's also like the sun - it's cloudy today when I look out the window, but I know the sun is still there, and eventually the clouds will part. Another way of putting this is in a little equation - P=p-i, That is, Performance equals Potential minus Interference, or, whatever's getting in your way. How does that feel for you?
Does it sometimes feel that you're too small to make any sort of
difference? Well don't believe it -
here's an inspiring example of just one person who really has made a big difference. Within a forest in Indonesia,
ravaged by logging and exploitation, a single forester named Redansyah has planted tens of thousands of tree seedlings over a twenty year period. Some are very slow growing and he will not see the full fruits of his labour - this is an example of the long term, 'cathedral' thinking that we need to embrace, as we hear in 'The Good Ancestor', one of my previous book recommendations. What (apparently) small thing can you do today, to make your difference?
Well I think that will do for now,
! If there’s something else you’re seriously interested in, let me know by replying to this email and I’ll do my best to find out about it for you. Why not also keep in touch with me on my main list too: go here (updated links) to subscribe safely. As ever, you can see previous issues of this newsletter in the archive here, to better appreciate
the context. You can subscribe there too if you haven't already. (Tip: All best viewed in landscape if you're on your mobile.) I'm starting to think about planning next year's updates, and I'll be delighted to hear from you what you'd like to see. Meanwhile, please spread the word and share this email, as it's so urgent now. Stay well, keep safe, and I'll be in touch again in a couple of weeks, mostly the first and third Mondays of each month. All best wishes, Barbara
If you don't already know
me, you might be wondering who I am and what moves me to create this series. Well, I am an accredited executive and personal Coach, which basically means I help people to think deeply about their own personal situations and then to act on their thinking.
I have a particular interest in well-being, resilience and effectiveness, and in recent years I've become personally and shockingly aware of the climate emergency and related issues. I'm not a climate or
sustainability expert - just a very concerned human.
And so, with many coaching colleagues, including Synergy Global, I want to do what I can to spread information, inspire
hope and encourage action. See the buttons above for more.
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