We are no strangers to change in the year 2020. Time and time again, we have been challenged to rise up, to shift the way we work, live and socialize, and to question institutions that don't serve all of us. In some ways, we long for things to go back the way they were. In other ways, we know that returning to what "used to be" isn't possible. In a very real way, we know that things must never look the same in order for us to build a stronger, healthier and more inclusive society. So how to do we make sense of this inner conflict? This longing to return to "normal" coupled with this intense need to do better than before? Our writers in this month's issue offer incredible insight. We are on the cusp of some major changes with the upcoming election, and we all have a duty to protect the health, the rights and the futures of our communities. We have an obligation to keep our eyes open, to involve ourselves and to resist the urge to hide under the covers. It is time to tune ourselves in, roll our sleeves up, and be prepared to settle in to this discomfort that will naturally be a part in our committing to a better world. At OutGrowth, we constantly discuss how embracing discomfort is the path to growth. We believe and live this value through every program we design. Change is never easy, but the more we can live in that space of discomfort, the more prepared we will be to tackle anything and everything that comes our way. Happy reading. Vote. Wear a mask. Be the change. Grow out with us. |
|
|
The Sun Beam Founder of The 3rd, Laura Bacon Upwards Floating With the Ebbs and Flows of Change by Registered Nurse and Writer/Blogger, Vonita Vaughn |
|
OutGrowth Today Our Monthly Blogger Spotlight + OutGrowth's Top Tip for November The En Root Scoop Embracing (and Being) the Change Our Top Ted Talk, Workbook and Book |
|
|
As COVID hit, I was planning on signing a lease for a 3000 sq ft space to bring my dream of a WOC-focused co-working space to reality. Then ya girl got hit. The changes kept coming and coming. Doors felt like they were closing, signaling that perhaps I had ridden this entrepreneurship train as far as it would go. |
|
|
When I envision my ideal self pivoting with change, pictures of me floating in calm, Caribbean Seas come to mind. As the sun glistens and glows, I have a sense of peace as the buoyancy of lapping waves supports me. Sounds incredible, right? I wish I could say that this is always how I deal with change. However, it's the ideal that I strive towards for my well-being. |
|
|
| | Monthly Blogger Spotlight Exploring the Changing Landscape by Maggie Appel-Schumacher 'Find supporters of your cause: Friends, colleagues, mentors, counselors - there will always be people who are inspired by your re-imagined life and want to support you in that goal. Identify those people and keep them close to you, as they will help you reach it!' Maggie is an International Education enthusiast that has experience working in educational non-profits and university settings in the US and Abroad. Passionate about enabling opportunities for people to explore new cultures and gain confidence/ independence through new opportunities. Maggie was born and raised in Germany and has lived in the United States for a decade, currently resides in New York City. | | |
|
| | OutGrowth's Top Tip On Change: Sit With It At OutGrowth, we thrive on change. Our experiential programming is all about doing education differently, and seeking new ways to think, learn and live. We believe that it is through seeking change that we grow into our best selves. But the reality is that the growth we actively seek is much easier than growth we are challenged with, when unexpected circumstances and events call on us to rise up. This year is all about the unexpected, and we are all being challenged to grow our capacity for resilience, for action in the face of the unknown, for mental/emotional coping. It would be easy for us to write about how we think that when faced with change, the simple answer is to embrace it. But the reality of change is much more complex, and so it follows that our response should be also. It's true, resisting change isn't productive. But before we are truly ready to embrace it, how can we allow ourselves to sit with it? Mourning the loss of the familiar is normal. Fear of the future is expected. So for now, before we dive into the next wave of change, how about we just give ourselves grace, and a bit of space to properly let go of the old, so that we can take intentional steps toward the inevitable new. | | |
|
|
'Who says change needs to be hard? Organizational change expert Jim Hemerling thinks adapting your business in today's constantly-evolving world can be invigorating instead of exhausting. He outlines five imperatives, centered around putting people first, for turning company reorganization into an empowering, energizing task for all.' | | |
|
|
|
|
