What do you do in a world that demands your submission just so you can stay alive? What do you do when your job and your paycheck demand that you keep doing more, and more and more? How can you stop in a culture that thrives on you exploiting yourself completely?
This is how: You change the culture.
Most of us are living in fear of our darker emotions. And why wouldn’t we, when our culture and media are telling us that our ideal state is one of constantly being happy and productive? And if we aren’t, then hey, here’s a solution to help you BECOME constantly happy and productive.
We are being called towards progress. Our own progress, individual and societal. Will we answer the call? Will you?
Or, why it matters that you find your greatness.
If there’s one thing that flattens the playing field amongst all humans, it’s time. We each have one life to live, to give, to dream, to learn, to grow, to overcome where we are and get to where we are going.
We are stuck in a vicious cycle in society.
We don’t let ourselves be vulnerable to each other because we don’t trust each other to not hurt us. And we don’t trust each other because we don’t trust ourselves to take care of ourselves.
Ultimately, when you’re depressed, you are mourning your past. You are reliving some part of your life, and all of the emotions that came with it. You are mourning what has already happened, and your inability to change it.
It has been a year of community and consideration. A year of contemplation and connection.
My commitment has been to myself, yet along the way I have collected infinitely valuable wisdom from the beautiful wise souls I met along the way. With humble gratitude, I dedicate this year in review to each one of you, you know who you are.
Something’s been on my mind this year. Something dark and heavy. It’s been crushing my skull down into the ground with its painful, menacing force, threatening to flood my sight with darkness, my mind with hopelessness, and wrap its cold slithering fingers around my throat tight until it squeezes the life out of me.
I believe we have the potential to evolve to our higher consciousness as beings — if we just find the courage to go through our emotions, fears, ecstasies and desires, instead of around them.
What does it really mean to be human?
What makes a coach really good, or even great? Maybe it’s experience as a designer. Especially in branding and identity. A good coach knows how to listen for what matters to you, and reflect it back to you in a way that makes your heart feel a deep-seated recognition of yourself, jumping out of your seat to say, “Yes, exactly! That’s me! You got me. That’s what I want."
Imagine businesses and organisations became places for such conscious development of humanity. Places of play. Of true, open-ended creativity. Of real fulfilment, meaning and purpose. This world is already on its way, and it's time we prepare ourselves for it.
They create and define the culture we live in, what we choose to value and how we measure ourselves up in society: art, design and branding. What if we are overlooking their potential to influence social behaviour enough to not just make business richer, but to solve some of the world’s most critical problems too?
This isn’t the world we were promised when we were growing up.Because really, we weren’t unhappy back then, when we had a lot less.
The feeling of failure is so deeply wired in us as being “wrong” or “bad” that it keeps us from playing, experimenting, trying new things. We are wired to think in black and white, in safety in numbers, in not sticking out of the crowd by being the anomaly.
It’s hard enough to navigate through life and all its emotions, challenges, losses and frustrations without having to also be the best version of you in your work, family, friendships and still manage to come out feeling accomplished, creative and free.
We have this fabricated notion etched into our brains that work and real life are all about discomfort, and holiday and breaks are all about comfort. We have this notion implanted into us that real work entails production and generating financial capital, and deep inner work is a luxury afforded to those who have earned the freedom to play after putting in their time, across a lifetime or even generations.
I won’t lie, working for yourself, and by yourself, really isn’t for everyone. Self motivation is just the start of the list of tools you've got to have in your back pocket to make it work.
Do you have to quit your job and chase your dream just to live a life of meaning and fulfilment? How do we find passion and creativity in our lives without risking it all? Can’t we just have it ALL? Passion and creativity comes in many different forms but is absolutely essential for feeling fulfilled as a human being.
We live in a world where you are known for what you believe in, and as you get closer to your own truth, you may lose some people along the way. This is actually great. Who wants followers or friends that don’t believe in us, anyway?
I have the power to shift your reality without you even knowing it. Want to know how? Step into my world. This is the story of how I got where I am today. I was born an artist.