Resourcing the Revolution

Writing

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (and other fun developments)

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changes_640It’s that time again. Another Tuesday rolls around, and with it another opportunity to reevaluate the purpose behind this blog.

Next month will mark a year of weekly posts, never a skipped week, and only on occasion of a technical error a missed Tuesday. I have written in the past about the reasons behind my decision to stick to a posting schedule, and today I’m making the decision to change my format.

Over this past year, I have participated in conversations with other bloggers, other writers – and there has never been a clear winner in the “how often is best to post” discussion… other than the fact that truly killer content wins out every time. I have come to the realization that my writing efforts are best focused elsewhere, to other projects and new ventures.

So, today I leave you with the promise that I plan to keep writing here, but I’m officially giving myself permission to step away from the weekly posting schedule. I’ll be announcing a new project soon, something I’ve been working on since the spring, and putting together a year in review post to talk about what I’ve learned over the last year of blogging.

Until then, happy Tuesday, and happy changes.

Personal “Sacrifice” (and the greater good)

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sacrifice_640Our society tends to understand when people move up, move away and on to better things, but that understanding fades when they see someone’s actions as giving up something that they have earned. We understand when someone gets excited about a new promotion, buys a bigger house, moves to a better neighborhood or a city with more opportunities – but when someone appears to go the opposite direction, most people don’t understand.

Why would people decide to give up their stuff and live in a smaller house? Why would they move away from the city where they have everything and trade it for a small town? Why would people give up a cushy, stable job for the uncertainty of struggling on their own?

What is it that makes certain people turn away from the “comfortable” life to go and pursue something that benefits humanity?

  • the public servant – firefighters, risking their lives to save others
  • the adventurer – those who join an organization like the Peace Corps or Doctors Without Borders, traveling the world to make a difference in the lives of people far away
  • the activist – those who believe so deeply in a cause that they are willing to lay their bodies on the line to facilitate positive change
  • the minimalist – giving up personal belongings, detaching from “stuff” and our consumer culture

Is there a common thread that connects these people and the decisions they make?

I don’t know the answers to these questions; my best guess is that every person has a unique set of circumstances and personal motivators that lead them along their path, guiding their decisions. Whatever it is, I know that I’m grateful for those who make the decision to be a positive force in the world, no matter what their path.

Musing about this brought to mind “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, so I’ll leave you with his words:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Solidarity (and what it means to stand together)

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solidarity_640I’ll admit I’ve been feeling the crunch recently. Being back from travels, catching up and trying to get my feet back under me has left me with quite a few full plates – if you would like a visual, close your eyes, and imagine those people at the circus who spin multiple plates around on tall sticks, balancing everything all at once – you get the idea.

And, in the midst of my personal chaos, some of the biggest climate fights in history are ramping up; I’ve been feeling incredibly guilty about not having feet on the ground at any of the amazing Summer of Solidarity events. It just so happens that a friend of mine reminded me that I can still be a part of the action by making sure the messages they are sending get heard. Smart guy, huh?

Over at WeArePowerShift, there have been quite a few SoS articles posted recently, talking about the actions from the perspective of those running and participating in them. I would encourage everyone to head over there and take a look – see what the younger generation is up to. (Hint: they’re saving the planet.)

For starters:

Rainforest Action Network’s Scott Parkin on “How Quiet Environmental Uprisings are Spreading Across the Country”

An interview that was given by a couple of team members of mine, talking about coming out of the Rio+20 Summit earlier this summer

And, links to the individual actions that are taking place across the country this summer:

Stop the Frack Attack – Washington, DC
RAMPS (Radical Action for Mountain Peoples’ Survival) – Rock Creek, WV
Tar Sands Blockade – the great states of Texas & Oklahoma
Coal Export Action – the Pacific Northwest

I would encourage anyone who feels so compelled to take the time to support these actions, however that seems best for you. If nothing else, take the time to become educated about where your power comes from, and the methods by which it is produced, wherever you are.

As some dude named TJ (Thomas Jefferson, for those not in the know) once said, “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.”

Lost (and adrift in a sea of possibility)

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lost_640It’s been about a week and a half since I arrived back on the east coast, and I have some confessions to make.

Being at WDS was such an intense, joyful and fast-paced experience that when I got home, I suffered from a bit of a crash. And when I say “a bit” I mean that I pretty much fell apart for a while. I lost the motivation to do much of anything – everything back home felt washed out, devoid of the crackle of energy and adventure that had pervaded my previous two weeks. I imagine it’s why adrenaline junkies keep going out and doing intensely crazy things; once you experience the high, the rest of life kind of pales in comparison.

I came back to dead plants, unpaid bills, searing temperatures, a mountain of unread email… looking at the relative monotony of everyday life, all I wanted to do was curl up under the covers and cry. Why couldn’t the rest of the world be as phenomenal as those few days? During that crash, I lost my appreciation for those things I have been cultivating so carefully over the past couple of years. I forgot about my accomplishments, I couldn’t see the future in the projects I had in the works – I was wrecked.

From hearing the stories of other folks who were out in Portland this year, I get the impression I wasn’t alone. There were lots of great stories from the people who had taken the momentum gained during that weekend and flown out of the gate, grasping life by the reins and bending it to their perfectly planned will. And then, there were the rest of us. We ranged from those who were so inspired by the weekend and the people, but had literally not a clue on which direction they were headed next, to those who had been on paths, but had been momentarily sucked into rough seas, spun about and spit back out, left unsure of what came next (or if the current path was actually the right one).

Last year, I moved to Asheville, NC not long after WDS. This wasn’t some grand plan spun during a moment of inspiration at the conference – I had been planning the move since the spring. I think the enormity of that move was enough to give me something to focus on when I got back; it felt like I had a definite direction. I didn’t have a real plan, per se, just the idea that I needed to give myself the opportunity for a fresh start, a leaping off point for the adventures that lay ahead.

This year, I specifically didn’t have many plans past the conference, because I figured that I would come out of the weekend with some new spark, potentially some new direction.

So here I was, a year later, adrift in the sea of possibilities that lay ahead. And, instead of being super excited about this life I have created – the business that I have been running for just over two years, the local and national organizations I’m involved with, the amazing friends and family who love and support me, the fuzzy dog who was so excited to see me when I got back – I crashed. Hard.

I won’t go into the gory details about how I pulled myself out of my funk, but let’s just say that it involved copious amounts of tissue and a few of the special people in my life. (Moving on…)

To the other people who feel similarly adrift after WDS, I can only say that you are not alone. I don’t know the answer to how we each find our ideal path, but I imagine that it will be different for each of us. I have come to realize that it’s not about the knowing – certainty is nice and all, but I think that it’s the journey of discovery that ends up being the important part of our lives.

So much of my life over the past several years has been about learning and growing, living passionately, and figuring it out along the way. I may never be completely comfortable with not having the complete picture, but I do know that being able to see every day of the rest of my life is NOT what I’m interested in. I’m learning to love the adventure. So, for now, I’m settling back into the everyday. My dreams are still as big as ever, and I’m figuring out how to make them come true, one day at a time. I hope that you are doing the same.

World Domination (or: World Changing 101)

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wds101_640I attended the inaugural World Domination Summit last June, and it was an amazing (life changing) experience. I didn’t know anyone else who was attending, and hadn’t been following any blogs besides Chris Guillebeau’s “Art of Nonconformity” and some of the work Leo Babauta was doing. I was in the middle of personal turmoil, changing up so many things in my life – and the thing that I remember the most clearly was this: the people I met at WDS loved and supported my story; unlike mainstream society, where people told me that I was crazy to be “giving up” a stable life and marriage, financial security, the American dream, everyone at WDS understood. In the middle of a room of 500 people who were out living unconventional lives (walking across America, traveling around the world full time, owning their own location-independent businesses, doing world changing work), I couldn’t help but feel like I had finally met my tribe.

Last year taught me to listen when the universe fell into place, to dream big and to live my life with unapologetic passion. I made initial contact with people who would become friends over the coming months, who would share in some of my biggest moments during the coming year. More than anything, WDS confirmed that was okay to live life on my terms.

Come this year, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. In fact, I tried incredibly hard to keep myself from thinking too hard about how this year would be different. I didn’t want to create expectations, so I mostly focused on the travel aspect – my cross country train trip to the west coast.

I just got back to the east coast, after spending 2 weeks traveling, including a few days with one thousand other world changers. I wrote most of this post on board a train on the way to San Francisco – last week I hinted at having most of this written up, and it’s time to let the experience see light.

If I had to guess, it will still be a while before I can completely process the entire trip, but my initial takeaway is that this year was yet another incredible experience. It was completely different from last year, but I think that the differences are in me, as opposed to with the conference. There were lessons learned from the first year, and new challenges presented by doubling the size of the crowd, but the same level of awesome still pervaded the weekend’s events.

(Side note – I decided last year that I wasn’t going to take written notes, because as soon as I start writing, I cease to be present to the experience. It worked well last year and I continued the tradition this year. Everything below is from my memory of the weekend – these are my impressions and takeaways, and all mis-rememberings are my own).

To recap the entire conference would result in a post of ridiculous length (above and beyond this “pared down” version of over 1300 words…), so instead I present you with some of the things that resonated most with me:

  • Brene Brown opened up the speaker portion of the conference on Saturday morning – she challenged us to be open, vulnerable and uncool, allowing ourselves to fully experience life. She also coined what may very well have become the favorite response of the weekend: “suckit”. And, most importantly, who can forget the rousing Glee rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing”?
  • Hearing about Scott Harrison’s work with Charity: Water was one of the most personally inspiring portions of the weekend. Being a part of the environmental and nonprofit worlds, it was amazing to hear about how the charity is functioning and to see a bit behind the curtain of an organization that’s changing the rules in their industry. I came out of the session with a personal reaffirmation of the volunteer work that I am doing with Earth Week, the WeArePowerShift leadership team and 350.org. I will be giving my birthday to Charity:Water this year (taking a hiatus from my normal charity giving to local causes).
  • Pace and Kyelie’s afternoon session on why our dreams are not enough was both fun and inspiring; they taught the group how to make our ideas sticky, about the ripple effect, and I particularly enjoyed learning about the “monkeysphere”. (I’ll admit that my favorite part was being able to give out monkey stickers to those with whom I had truly authentic and open conversations over the rest of the weekend – you know who you are!) Likewise, I enjoyed a session with Nathalie Lussier, who taught us why women are built to rule the world – girl power!
  • Grant and Adam’s film, “I’m Fine, Thanks” was premiered on Saturday night at the Mission Theater, and brought an entire theater full of people to tears. Seeing Grant’s story laid out on the screen – the conscious piecing together of the “perfect life” over a series of years, only to find later that it was not the right life for him – was so close to my own story that I could not stop the tears when they welled up.
  • Chris Brogan’s opening talk on Sunday morning, about embracing your own inner superpowers and not being afraid to be your own unique self, was both hilarious and fitting – plus, he handed out superhero and supervillain cards… what’s not to love?
  • The attendee lightning round, where a select few were chosen to talk about projects they were currently working on – my good friend Brandon kicked off the session in style, talking about his work with the documentary “Kids of the Gulf” – Adam Baker talking about his experience making the “I’m Fine, Thanks” documentary – the boob cancer song, complete with pink ukelele. In particular, I love that every person in that theater had an amazing story to tell, whether they were highlighted or not.
  • JD Roth’s closing presentation about living an unconventional life in an ordinary world, complete with a call to action.

A few other fun events and moments throughout the weekend:

  • All the informal meetups starting on Thursday, and running through the weekend. It’s what I love most about this experience – it’s about the people!
  • Dancing like a totally uncool person (thanks, Brene) at Crystal Ballroom on Saturday night, completely unplanned – the motion of the dance floor under our feet – finding unexpected dancing partners and moments of pure joy. Dancing again on Sunday night at the closing party, Bollywood style.
  • Iron Chef dinner before the movie screening on Saturday. Rooftop dinner with friends on Sunday, watching the sun set over Portland from the roof of one of the tallest buildings in the city.

And, as you might have heard, during his closing remarks, Chris did indeed reinvest a sizable donation back to the attendees – he had an anonymous donor who covered enough of the costs of this year’s event that there was a surplus, and Chris made the decision to give each of the 1,000 attendees $100 to invest in making change moving forward. It’s been over a week since his investment, and I still can’t find the right words to explain it… and after deleting paragraph after paragraph, I think it’s time to throw in the towel.

I have plans for my investment – half is going toward a business project that’s been in the works since this spring, and the other half is going to charity. I think I’ll probably invest it with Kiva, through the team of folks over at the Impossible League.

This year was another amazing year for WDS – like I said before, very different for me, but mostly because I am a changed person from last year. I was delighted by the focus on doing good and making positive change that was apparent this year. We have the power to change the world, and because of a weekend in Portland, we are even better equipped to head back out into the world and do so.

Let’s do this.

Image credit: Armosa Studios

Adventure (and why it’s best together)

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adventure_640I have been traveling for the past couple of weeks, and I just wrapped up six days in Portland, OR for my second World Domination Summit. I have a post about the event that’s mostly written up… but like all truly good things, it needs some time to simmer before I post it up.

So instead, I’m writing this short post today from my hostel in San Francisco – I arrived this morning via the last leg of my cross country train trip, and spent the afternoon walking around the city. I’m headed out shortly to attend an environmental talk and to catch up with some friends from 350.org.

My mini lesson for today is this: surround yourself with amazing people. It’s like I wrote earlier in the year, about making alliances that allow you to live a powerful and impact-ful life. Life is short, and beautiful. Grab your friends, keep them close, and go live life to the fullest!