Current e-Journal
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June 2, 2026
Yes, you ARE doing enough
In this week’s Systems Change Newsletter…
- Invitations and Announcements
- Catalytic Thinking Exercise: Yes, you ARE doing enough
- Resources to Further Your Practice
Invitations & Announcements:
Setting Salaries
At next week’s Integrity Body meeting (aka our board meeting), we will apply Catalytic Thinking to an issue that matters to everyone working in the nonprofit sector: Setting salaries. When we set salaries for one organization, we are creating the “market rates” for everyone else in the sector – setting the standard for all of us. This is therefore one of the most important discussions we will have. And YOU are invited! Watch in real time or come join us. Info is here…
Catalytic Thinking Exercise:
Yes, you ARE doing enough
These days, so many of us are feeling like no matter what we do, it’s not enough.
We watch the news and see people protesting, getting arrested, being pepper sprayed. And we think, “I’m not doing any of that. Those brave souls are making a difference, and I’m just sitting here in the comfort of my living room…”
Feeling like we’re not doing enough is exhausting. We feel helpless. Ineffective and ineffectual. Overwhelmed.
When we feel weak and small and not enough, we shrink. That emotional fatigue leads to our doing less, not more. “I’m just one person. It won’t matter if I do this or not.” And so, we watch the news and get depressed and feel more helpless. And the cycle continues.
Here’s the thing:
Strength builds upon our strengths, not our weaknesses.
If we are going to be our best, to fight for what is possible – for a world that works for all of us – we need to feel strong enough to do so.
Try this
Catalytic Listening encourages us to listen for people’s strengths, even (especially) when they are feeling weak. That is because the stronger we feel, the more we can take on.
Feeling strong is therefore (in the language of Catalytic Thinking) a huge condition for our success.
It is the difference between “I’m just one person” and “I’M ONE PERSON AND I AM MAKING A DIFFERENCE!”
So let’s do some Catalytic Listening with ourselves, right now. Let’s listen for our strengths, not the hopelessness of our weaknesses.
Grab a pen and paper, and write down everything you are doing to make this world a kinder, more peaceful, healthier, more joyful place to live. Ready, GO!
If it's helpful, here is a short list of just some of the ways we are each doing our part. If you think of other actions, hit reply and let us know – we will add those to the web version of this newsletter.
☐ Donating. Every penny and every dime matters. That $10/month matters.
☐ Staying informed. And voting.
☐ Boycotting corporations who are supporting fascism.
☐ Showing up. Even if you don’t attend the protest. Honking and waving when you drive by. Donating water or other supports to those who are protesting. Helping to get the word out even if you don’t go yourself.
☐ Contacting legislators. Sending letters, emails, phone calls.
☐ Conversations. Talking with friends. Calmly sharing the reality that people are living with. Explaining rather than arguing.
☐ Social media. Sharing information that informs (refraining from posts that simply inflame). Diligently checking your sources. Is it AI? Is it factually correct?
☐ Your work. If your work is about making life better for people, it may feel like that’s not enough. It is HUGE!
☐ Transportation. Walking or taking the bus instead of driving. Driving an electric car or hybrid.
☐ Neighbors. Knowing your neighbors. Watching out for them. Taking care of each other. Smiling and waving.
☐ Buying local. Buying your groceries at the farmers market, at the local food co-op, at the locally owned hardware store, the independent bookstore.
☐ Gardening. Victory gardens. Think about that word. Victory!
☐ Volunteering. It doesn’t matter where. Volunteering at your kid’s school. The food bank. Revegetating fire-damaged forests.
☐ Staying healthy. Eating well, taking care of yourself. Meditating to calm the soul. Spending time outdoors. In these times, taking care of ourselves is itself an act of rebellion.
Hopefully this short list encourages you to add to it. What are you doing that is not on this list?
Strength builds upon our strengths. Just seeing the list of what you are already doing can feel empowering. And the bonus is that every small action encourages others to take action as well. “Oh you’re shopping at the farmers market instead of the supermarket? That sounds awesome. I’ll check it out!”
That is what a movement is. All of us aligning our day-to-day with the causes we believe in. Where we buy, how we live, how we treat others. Being an example to others while doing the best we can ourselves.
As Roshi Joan Halifax encourages us, "We have to look deeply and find the cracks in the systems, and find our way into the cracks, to thoroughly break open the way forward. Each one of us is a leverage point in our world. Be like water. Find your way into the cracks."
The answer to authoritarianism lies in community, all of us rising up against the few in every single aspect of life. And every act that does that is part of the movement.
This is why Catalytic Listening is such a crucial part of the Catalytic Thinking framework. We must feel that strength if we are to build more strength. And it all starts with listening to ourselves through the lens of our own power.
Because, as civil rights leader Janai Nelson reminds us, "If we were powerless, they'd be ignoring us."
Resources to Further Your Practice:
- WATCH: In this short video, watch a group of school kids build upon garbage as an asset for change. Yes, garbage. Trash. Rubbish. Watch here…
- READ: Curious about the basics of Catalytic Listening? Start here…
- LISTEN: Seth Kaplan talks about building your neighborhood as a huge step towards global change. Listen here…
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