Current e-Journal
3 Ways the Holidays Can Change the World
- December 5, 2018
December 05, 2018
How can you create the very most social change during this holiday season?
Leveraging the Holiday Season to Change the World
How can you create the very most social change this holiday season?
Here are 3 ways to start...
1) Holiday Party Conversations
At holiday parties, take the opportunity to connect as people rather than as job titles. Instead of asking people, "What do you do?" try asking, "What are you most excited about these days?" or "What has brought you joy lately?" You will not only have more energizing conversations, you will be practicing having conversations that matter.
2) Get out and see people
The holidays and year-end are so filled with crazy to-do lists, we feel like we don’t have time for the best gift of all – getting out and seeing people who can make the holidays (and every day thereafter) joyful.
Leave the office, leave your house. Meet neighbors you haven’t met yet. Meet collaborators you don’t normally spend time with.
Express gratitude that each person is part of your neighborhood, or part of your work. Simply saying, “I’m glad you’re here” can make all the difference in the world. (Seriously – read one story of those 4 little words at this link.)
3) Plan for 2019 to Go Back to the Basics
We all spend so much time online, so much effort focused on social media.
Over and again, though, history has shown us that changing the world doesn’t start online or in the streets. It starts in people’s living rooms, with quiet, personal conversations. (Click here to follow our own story of taking Creating the Future on the road to meet with real people.)
Do those conversations take time and work? Yes.
Is it easier to send an e-blast? Sure.
But which do YOU listen to more – an e-blast or a conversation with a friend? Which has greater potential for you to say, “I never thought of that!”?
So plan for 2019 to be the year you get out from behind your desk, get out from in front of the TV, and have conversations that matter with real people.
Bringing out the best in ourselves and those around us is the first (and last) step in creating a more humane world. This holiday season, we all have the ability to focus on people rather than stuff (including donating money). Each of us has the potential to listen, to open our own minds and encourage others to do the same.
If the world we want to see is one where relationships matter, this holiday season gives us the opportunity to walk that talk. Who will you talk with today?
Want to learn alongside other people who are also trying out Catalytic Thinking practices? Join our Catalytic Thinking in Action community on Facebook - a welcoming place where you can ask questions and learn from people like you who are experimenting with these practices. We look forward to seeing you there!
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