“You are here” maps show you where you are in relation to where you’ve been and where you are going. As we plan, plot and race to the next spot, we need to remind ourselves of the progress that got us “here” and the joy to be found on the journey to the next “here.”
The past six months of a worldwide pandemic, social unrest and political positioning have certainly turned the map upside down. There are days that feel like we’ll be “here” forever. While the immediate future is unknown and uncertainty is ruling the day, we can create certainty by tapping into our resilience, creativity and adaptability.
In The Power of Questions, Glenda Eoyang suggests three practices to engage with intractable issues:
See patterns not problems – when we can see patterns, we can shift them and create new patterns that serve us better;
Learn in action - the iterative process of Adaptive Action (WHAT? SO WHAT? NOW WHAT?) allows observations, understandings, and actions to evolve;
Stand in Inquiry - No single answer is sufficient for complex issues. Questions can open our mind into new possibilities and ways to shift patterns.
Human Systems Dynamics Institute has developed models and methods to support the practices of Pattern Logic, Adaptive Action, and Inquiry.
“Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push — in just the right place — it can be tipped.” — Malcolm Gladwell
Asking questions and being open to new answers push us from the complacency of contracting into the possibilities of expansion. Expanding prompts creativity and innovation to create a new future filled with optimism and opportunity. Exercising our imagination can help us plan and prepare for a post -COVID life. In a TEDxMile High article on How to Expand Your Imagination in 8 Days, Kendra Sand offers ways to work your imagination muscles:
See adventure – new experiences requires your mind to think and neurons to connect in new ways;
Challenge perception - “When the brain processes vision, the vast majority of information is not coming from the eyes, but from memory. In fact, it is now estimated that visual perception is 80% memory and 20% input through the eyes. In other words, sensory information is not transmitted to the brain; it comes from it.” – Jennifer Bornstein;
Daydream – unconnect and stop consuming technology and media. Create quiet space for yourself each day to reconnect with wonder;
Speak up – imagination is linked to language and voice. Talk with a friend, allow your ideas to take shape by talking about them;
Play – relax, meditate and reconnect with the kid in yourself;
Find blue – a study from the University of British Columbia found that the color blue enhances openness, calm and peacefulness;
Star gaze - “Experiencing the night sky provides perspective, inspiration, and leads us to reflect on our humanity and place in the universe. The history of scientific discovery and even human curiosity itself is indebted to the natural night sky.” – Dark Sky Project
Take a walk – creative output increases with walking and wandering.
We are living through a very intense season of change and transformation right now. While we can’t control our external circumstances, we can change what we internalize and how we can change ourselves through actions now that will serve us well in the future. “You are Here” right now and imagine, create and move to your next “here.”
