Ripples #1225: The World Needs You
Nov 14, 2022
PEBBLE
The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.
-Robert Pirsig, shared by Ryan in New York, NY
BOULDER
You are capable of more than you know. Choose a goal that seems right for you and strive to be the best, however hard the path. Aim high. Behave honorably. Prepare to be alone at times, and to endure failure. Persist! The world needs all you can give.
-E.O. Wilson, shared by Sara in Madison, WI
PONDER
A few years ago I was asked to create a presentation for a corporate wellness initiative during a month focused on mental health/emotional wellbeing. I called the session “Think Better, Feel Better, & Do Better” to reinforce the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and actions have a symbiotic relationship, each affecting the other two. At times, this cycle helps lift us up, while other times it can send us spiraling downwards.
I’ve been updating some of the content lately, and it has me curious about the times when planting little thoughts in my mind can ever so slightly improve my mood, making it easier to tackle the tasks that I know help life seem more meaningful and enjoyable. On another day, I might need to pause and focus on my feelings as the more accessible path to upgrading my thoughts and actions. And then there’s those moments when my head and heart are so juggly jumbly that I need a behavioral intervention…a bike ride, a spontaneous dance party, or maybe a quick scramble of productivity that resets my system and raises me up, up, up.
When I remember, the best course of first action is often a brief pause with no action, a moment to assess the state of my thoughts, feels, and actions. This almost always makes it easier to identify a useful entry point to elevation whether that’s tweaking my thinking, focusing on my feelings, or activating with an action.
I dare you to experiment this week to see what might help upgrade your mindset, your mood, and your movement. Are you in?
Peace,
Paul
