Current e-Journal

KNOW your values:
Standing up for what is important to you requires being crystal clear about those moral guidelines. What are the lines you will never cross?

Your values matter most when they are put to the test. The more clearly your values are stated, the easier it is to identify when boundaries are being crossed. (The resource section below has a great free workbook to help you unearth those values.)

KNOW what you will say YES to:
Obeying in advance is about what you will say NO to, which automatically puts you on the defensive. And when we are playing defense, whipsawed by circumstances, we are absolutely not at our best.

Catalytic Thinking instead teaches us to focus on what you will say YES to.

When you know what you will say YES to, anything outside that is automatically a “NO.” YES points you towards your vision for what is possible. NO keeps you playing defense.

KNOW what you are fighting FOR:
“Do not obey in advance” is about what you are fighting AGAINST. And again, this keeps you on the defensive. Far more powerful is the question “What are we fighting FOR?”

Listing every possible lurking threat is an endless task. It is also emotionally debilitating. In that state, it’s easy to just give in and stop fighting.

But when you list what you are fighting FOR, that list is short and direct. And it will energize you to fight FOR your vision and your values.

KNOW reliable sources of information:
Disinformation and misinformation might as well be Time Magazine’s person of the year. No matter how vigilant we are, each of us has shared something on social media that felt right, but was actually wrong.

Rely on reliable sources whose job it is to fact check. In the resource section below, for example, you’ll see the sources for the information in the top half of this newsletter. When in doubt, refrain from using information you can’t verify.

KNOW what you will do if your work is in the line of fire:
Make a plan NOW. And to ensure you are creating the most powerful plan possible, use the questions of Catalytic Thinking to do so. (Several items in the resource section below can get you started.)

Have the people who will be most affected (your community members) help craft that plan. Don’t wait until you are under attack. Prepare your team and your community members NOW.

Focus your plan on what you WILL do. “We will keep our community informed. We will build a huge coalition of support. We will find legal assistance now, so that we are as prepared as we can be. If our tax exemption is threatened, here are the steps we will take. Etc.”

Keep your donors and funders apprised of your plans if they have not been part of formulating those plans. And build strength by putting as many of those plans as possible into action NOW.

All these actions will build strength into your mission, whether those anticipated threats materialize or not. You will be building an army of support for your work, with a plan for accomplishing your mission no matter what circumstances arise.

Just as it is with any threat, we cannot know if these are just talk, or if they will actually come to pass. All we can do is keep aiming for what we DO want for our communities. That is what the questions of Catalytic Thinking were made for.