“The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.”
– Thích Nhất Hạnh
32
act now
Goal: Give yourself a small win towards a cause you care about
Time: 45-90 minutes
Materials: 3 sheets of paper
People sometimes feel paralyzed by the enormous problems on our planet and the great challenges of changing the world for the better. They don’t know where to start and what to do. To avoid this paralysis, it is important to carefully look for options for action that are both motivating and realistic.
Taking the time to do something for yourself that propels and renews you is an important aspect of preventative self care. This looks different for everyone, but sustainability professionals can feel particularly weighed down by global challenges that seem too big to handle. Taking a small action to positively change the world like cleaning a park, encouraging neighbors to recycle, using public transportation, or organizing a local environmental action group can revive purpose and motivation.
1. Close your eyes and think about the following questions: What makes the world worth living to you? Which areas do you find important and valuable for a world you would like to live in? Write key points on a piece of paper.
2. Select the key point from the first sheet that seems most important to you at the moment, write it down in the middle of a second sheet. Now write all the actions around it that people might be able to do, which might be helpful, to achieve this important quality of a world worth living for.
3. Finally, take a third sheet of paper and choose from the second sheet the actions that you find most appealing and interesting. Now choose an action that you can do in the next two weeks and that you would enjoy doing (e.g. doing something completely new for a week, doing something different than usual or do without something for a week). These ideas should be attractive and motivating for you.
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