Exercise 9: Second Personal Essay
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Write a personal essay about yourself in relation to:
• The seven principles
• Your field of interest
• The problem you want to solve
• The people who feel the problem
• Your solution and goals
• Taking initiative in general
• Your motivation and, I hope, inspiration and purposeAlso, your reflections.
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Before joining this class, I knew taking initiative was valuable. I’d heard many people speak about how valuable it was in the professional world and I received compliments on my own initiative many times. After two months of deliberate initiative-taking, I think it’s probably the most important skill to develop. Initiative comes in many forms and I feel as though it is more like a trait (like charisma, for example) than a skill (like writing, for example). Although the word trait often makes people think it’s something you have or not, I know for a fact they are able to be learned and developed just like any other skill. I describe initiative as a trait because once you develop it, it becomes natural and part of you, just like charisma or being funny. Whereas writing is something that you do with conscious effort. Often taking initiative is nonconscious.
That all said, I’m not suddenly a lifelong initiator. I’ll have to continue practicing forever. Through this class, I’ve leveled up my confidence beyond what I ever expected. By the time we’re done, I will have probably contacted over 50 strangers and had conversations with 20-30 of them. Coming up with a project that was mine but required the advice and help from many others has been a wonderful process. I felt responsibility to continue developing it each week. Pretty early on, I had people expecting me to create this group and let them know how it went. With each conversation my people skills grew and my shyness fell away. I still feel like somewhat of a burden when I ask others for advice, but much less than when I started. I’ve noticed that the simple action of contacting someone with intention and a clear(ish) focus, is very appreciated. People want to help but they can’t help if they don’t know you want it.
Interestingly, I’ve learned a lot of other things about myself since we started in July. Some of these are very likely related to the exercises and taking initiative while others may not be. An important part of this learning process has been balancing my time, energy, and motivation. My motivation peaked around weeks 4-6 and I was working on my project every chance I had. This was fun and exciting… until it wasn’t. My flame has since fizzled a fair amount. Currently, I’m not super motivated (hence finishing this essay late) but I’m here, showing up. In the moment, when I had so much excitement and motivation, it was hard to reign myself in and say no to more work or more conversations in order to sustain or preserve some energy and motivation for the future. Though it’s kinda fun to experience the peaks of nonstop work, eventually the valleys remind me why it’s important to set boundaries and maintain a balance. Just as discipline and deliberate practice are required for work, I think they should be applied to play, too. I realized that I need to schedule in time to relax, recharge, and nourish myself in other ways before I crash and end up doing nothing but relaxing and recharging. Eventually, the pendulum swung too far and I was neglecting the majority of my healthy habits in favor of “burning the midnight oil” (though I did manage to keep a somewhat consistent early bedtime :)). Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the work. But I suppose that was part of the problem. To keep this from becoming a self-therapy essay, I’ll move on from this topic and end by saying that I’ve spent more time focusing on myself the past couple of weeks and now the pendulum is returning to the middle. To address my lack of motivation, as many of you know, I try to live by the phrase, “mood follows action.” Because it truly does.
In addition to learning more about balance, I really appreciate that Josh wasn’t lying when he told us that through the exercises we will better understand what’s important to us. He spoke of all the “shiny objects” that naturally pull our attention in many different directions, making it nearly impossible to fully connect with what is most meaningful to us. Just as I am not suddenly a lifelong initiator, I am not suddenly cured of my propensity to pursue the next exciting thing. However, my focus is narrowing and my true values are becoming clearer. I remain very open-minded to the possibility that I don’t quite know my true passions and values yet. But I feel different. I feel like I have a better idea of how to figure these things out.
Last week, Josh brought up the word “decide.” He explained how the ending, “-cide” is just like in “pesticide.” It means to kill or get rid of. So, deciding is less about choosing what to do, where to go, how to do it, etc., and more about choosing what not to do, where to avoid, or how not to do things. This is a tough concept to grasp and I ended up taking it a little too seriously. I stripped so much away — thinking they were all shiny objects — to focus on my project and the bare essentials. In doing this, I’ve realized that many of the things I was avoiding were actually critical to my wellbeing. Their necessity was not obvious in the moment or day-to-day life but over time their absence has become clear. I need them to sustain a happy, healthy lifestyle.
So, I don’t want to get rid of all these things or potential paths. But by avoiding certain things, it doesn’t mean I can never return to them. That door might just be closed for now, making it easier for me to walk past and explore the next door. If, through my exploration, I realize the next door isn’t quite right, I can always go back. Josh made it clear that switching topics is not something we should avoid. In fact, he explained that many students do exactly that as they learn what really matters to them. It’s a bit of tricky wicket isn’t it? We want to avoid jumping around from shiny object to shiny object, but we also mustn’t be afraid to drop an interest or project that no longer serves us. The difference is the former is superficial while the latter comes from a deeper connection as a result of doing the exercises.
Josh was also right when he explained to us at the start that as humans, we tend not to pursue or speak about what is most meaningful to us. We keep these beliefs and passions much closer to us in order to avoid ridicule or failing in something so personally important. It’s easier to have the same “passions” as everyone else. To go with the grain. Again, I’m still figuring out my true passions and identifying the less important shiny objects. But I really appreciate that through this class, I’ve been invited to explore this. And with seven other people doing the same thing, I am privileged to have the opportunity to accept the invitation and go against the grain with some support. Meeting every Sunday, hearing everyone’s challenges and successes is hugely validating and encouraging. If they can do it, I can do it. And if I can do it they can do it.
All my life I’ve strived for independence. As a young kid I remember always feeling frustrated when older kids or adults would let me win games or sports. I felt like I didn’t deserve it and like they were patronizing me. This has persisted into my young adulthood and often to my detriment. For whatever reason, it’s a common reaction for me to assume someone is being patronizing. Maybe in some ways I still feel like a kid who doesn’t know as much as everyone else or isn’t as strong as my peers or whatever it may be. When I embark on new goals or make changes in my life or even begin planning something with/for others, I tend to do so quietly, without asking for help. I want to do it myself and usually feel like involving others will make it harder. But then, I sometimes get frustrated when I’m left doing all the work. I know that including others, working as team, asking for advice, and sharing the responsibility is almost always better than going it alone. I’ve been able to see this play out in this course. My project would be nowhere near where it is now without all the great conversations and support from others. It would probably just be an idea that I concluded would be too hard or wouldn’t work. Instead, I’m going to host a meeting in a few weeks. Working with others and asking for advice is scary because I have to be vulnerable and I have to consider perspectives other than my own. I have to relinquish some control to others. As scary as it is, it’s worth it. It feels so good to let go.
Though recent progress has been marginal, my project is coming together. I plan to host a meeting or two before I move back home from New York. To remind you, this will be a meeting for animal advocates to feel supported by one another, socialize and make friends, and learn how to engage with the most effective animal advocacy that is also most interesting to them. Despite my desire for independence as described in the last paragraph, I’ve learned that I am a much more social creature than I thought. I typically lean more to the introverted side but I get so much from social interactions. I love talking to others and I especially enjoy when I can give them meaningful advice or guidance. In addition to aligning very strongly with my own interests, my updated project seems to fill a need. In almost all my conversations for this project, the person mentioned the importance of a strong social connection and feeling supported and heard. So, I pivoted from an original idea to focus on improving communication skills as an advocate to a combined group for socializing and advocacy improvement. I switched from improving communication to a sort of effective advocacy mentorship process because many people currently working in the space reminded me that there are much more effective and impactful ways to advocate for animals than through conversations. Since I will be moving out of the area, I’m not sure that my project will blossom into what I envisioned. Still, I want to go through the process of organizing and hosting at least one gathering and see what comes of it. Perhaps it will morph into an online group. Maybe someone else can pick up where I leave off. I could try implementing it back home or wherever I end up next. Even if nothing comes of it, that’s okay too. At least I will have tried.
Somewhat surprisingly, I feel I have made leaps and bounds towards my goal of finding a full-time career in animal advocacy. Because of my project, I’ve connected with many people already working in the space who have seen my motivation and initiative and might be able to connect me with job openings. I’ve also connected with many people in the same position as me, trying to get a foot in the door and finding where they best fit. I’ve made new friends and even strengthened existing relationships. The joy and energy I got from conversations about my project inspired me to call other friends and family just to chat.
I feel like I could continue to go on and on in this essay. Evidently, I’ve learned and changed a lot since July. Much of this can be attributed to Initiative, some of it unrelated (I think). I’m not yet clear on what I want to spend the majority of my time doing, which is fine. In some ways, more doors have opened up to me as possible entry points to a life full of joy and meaning. I’m excited to explore them all and although I know some are shiny objects, I feel capable of identifying those faster and moving onto the next. I don’t want to be afraid of running full-speed through these doors. I think now more than ever is the time for me to do exactly that. Try and fail learn and try again.
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Edit
The word fail in the last sentence is supposed to be crossed out. You can read my post on my substack where it’s a little more tidy.
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Hi Hayden!
I resonate a lot with your desire for independence. Alongside it is a desire for authenticity and resonance. I also relate to your peak/plateau journey as I myself was super high energy the first 4-5 exercises and struggled greatly with the rest, often completing and posting well beyond the deadline of 24hrs before class, very different from how I approached the first few. All that to say it’s so neat to hear how much you’ve learned about yourself and also how much agency you’ve gained in life. Here’s to seeing where your adventures take you and the camaraderie of going through this process together!
Cheers,
Olivia -
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Hey Hayden,
You are so refreshingly self-reflective and open! Thank you for sharing so deeply the process you have been going through. Your initiative has shown in this class and with that baseline, I am confident that you will find ways to live your values about animal protection and advocacy. I hope we will learn of them as we go forward in the class.
You identified the 4-6 week mark as being challenging (and so did Olivia in her response) this reflects my experience, too. It makes me remember my teaching days when as professors, we gave each other knowing looks around week 6 because students hit a slump and had difficulties maintaining their energy. I am realizing that on the student end of it, you all as classmates have helped me navigate my slump.
Thanks!
Beth
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Exercise 9: Second Personal Essay
I remember asking my friend once, as the early Covid era restrictions were lifting, if they knew of any support groups for depression.
“Sure,” they laughed. “They’re called bars.”
And there it is. This sad cycle of suffering. And addiction. And isolation. But where to begin in interrupting the cycle? Which group of people am I looking at and what are they feeling? My instinctive answer is: everybody living in non-sustainable cultures feel conscious or unconscious guilt, shame, and despair at the state of the world and their roles within it. But most people aren’t ready to admit it, in my experience. So, does that “count” as a problem, by Initiative standards of definition?
In the course of this workshop, my problem-solution set took various shapes. Here is a short list of the problems I was purporting to solve and the shape my solutions took:
• Early-stage entrepreneurs feel too busy to attend additional trainings; provide sustainability leadership workshops, later updated to coaching services & emphasize triple bottom line
• People in jails and prisons feel abandoned by society; provide sustainability leadership workshops in jails, later updated to cooking workshops in prisons, later updated to monthly support groups with food
• People in residential facilities feel lacking in basic life skills, such as cooking; provide cooking workshops (with sustainability leadership scripts utilized) in halfway houses and juvenile facilities, later updated to included senior centers, universities, large employers, etc, basically sold as a health and wellness classBut what problem am I really trying to solve?
The concept I keep returning to is a support group, even though I know the concept we’re supposed to start with is the unwanted emotions of a defined group. Still, though, the support group thing feels so resonant. The more I dive into sustainability as a lifestyle—and into sustainability leadership as a livelihood—the more I see addiction to plastic and pollution as the opposite lifestyle, and the more I wonder if other addiction models might help us break through to the general population. And the recovery world leans heavily on support groups. But then again, how do you run support groups for people who are addicted to a thing that everybody else in the world (rounding up) is also addicted to? We all generally agree as a society that opioids and alcohol are addictive substances which can cause massive harm, but we do not all generally agree as a society that plastic and petroleum products are addictive substances which can cause massive harm.
Any help, feedback or general thoughts are very much welcome.
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Hey Evelyn,
As I touched on in my essay, I’ve also come to the concept of a support group as being very valuable. In my case, most people I spoke to felt like they needed or wanted more support as vegans/animal advocates so the need is clearer. However, as someone who currently works with “environmentalists” I know they all have negative emotions associated with the environment and sustainability. I definitely agree that in general we as a species don’t see plastic etc. the same way we see substances, but my coworkers constantly talk about how much they hate the waste around them. And yet, they consistently purchase take-out, coffee in plastic cups, single-use… well, everything! These are the people most interested in protecting the environment and they cannot align their actions with their values. They do want to change and tread more lightly on our planet but they don’t. Though the “pitch” may be challenging, I think they would really value a support group for “quitting plastic” or something like that (and so would I and many others!). Not sure if this was helpful or just sorta repeating what you said in a different way. But I’m here to support you in your efforts to support others!
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Hey, Evelyn
I found myself thinking about holograms when reading your post. It isn’t exactly a correct analogy, but the idea is that the whole is represented in each part. Thus, wherever we start, we have a path to the larger frame or picture, which means that where we start isn’t as important as starting. You have so much heart for people and for life, I think you could follow any of the paths you mentioned, and it would lead you to your deepest heart.
Beth
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Method Initiative – Exercise 9
I initially started learning Method Initiative to rule out shiny objects and find something I wanted to cultivate and bring to life. As we rely on technology more and more, loneliness and our attachment to things seem to be more and more correlated. I chose my project based on the highest number of votes and promptly went from 11 projects down to one. That was the first time I iterated from clinging onto everything to choosing and running with one. My initial plan was to narrow down to do two projects and do double initiative for double the gains and soon I realized that for the effort, I didn’t find the most value in doing that. Hence, with much pain, I chose a single project.
At the beginning I was committed to the exercises with a mechanical task-oriented and brute-force-completionist type of mentality. I was more focused on finishing the exercise as compared to truly immersing myself in the project and being fully present. Being execution-oriented is fantastic! However, I started running into issues when I failed to iterate earlier on in the exercises. I couldn’t understand what iterate meant or how to iterate. Then I realized after many weeks clinging desperately onto my vague and broad solution, that iterating simply meant to make incremental changes based on the information I had. And, since this is a project cultivated by oneself, there’s no rubric for what is a right or wrong change. There is simply change that is chosen and change that is not. I found that when I was willing to iterate and flesh out my solution framework, that I could get more specific advice. I also found that when I would ask someone specific questions in relation to their fields, I could also get more specific advice.
In regards to the 7 principles, my understanding has grown or strengthened in the first four. I was already a preexisting believer in the first principle, that personality matters less than skills you can learn. I think this is why I was willing to take the workshop, because I knew that I would learn some valuable skills.
For principle number two, I can see how someone working at the peak of their passion and values might be able to complete an iteration of method initiative every single month. I imagine that even if the projects end up to not be what someone desires to work on, that ruling out a project is also valuable because it keeps from distractions as well. A few days ago a former employee asked me to be the president, secretary, or treasurer for their developing nonprofit which served a very specific demographic that held no personal meaning nor relation to me. In addition to expressing that it might be a conflict of interest for me in relation to one line of my work, I internally felt a lack of resonance in such a way that even if I were completely safe from potential conflicts of interest, I still might not be interested in taking on such roles. It’s coming at a very interesting time because it is a great idea, and yet, it doesn’t seem to hold much resonance with me.
On the third principle, collecting market feedback felt straightforward, but I realized that what I was missing was the flexibility to change my solution framework and the iterations of making changes and being willing to seek new feedback on the changes. Once I moved into the headspace of being willing to and being able to make changes vs. less on simply completing the task, I felt like the exercises because more meaningful.
The fourth principle of starting where you are with what you have resonates very strongly because that is also my approach to life. I was motivated to take Method Initiative because I had heard people say that they felt like it was a super power. I was wondering when I would feel the ‘click’ of my skills feeling like a super power, which is why I initially pursued the exercises with such fervor. However, when I paused, this principle I realized that perhaps the super power doesn’t lie in simply gaining the skills to take a project from ideation to fruition, but rather also in discovering one’s own shortfalls, attachments, misconceptions, and fears that we continuously run away from. Ultimately, starting with where you are with what you have sets you up for facing yourself, looking directly in the mirror and acknowledging who you are and where you are.
My field of interest is in helping environmentally conscious people who want to minimize their belongings who feel overwhelmed. My three second solution is to help willing people to gain agency in reducing overwhelm with a structured framework. My extended solution framework: Find willing and motivated people via an intake assessment. Provide an optional familiarized group environment for people to uncover and share the root cause of their unique emotional attachments to physical belongings, as well as their motivation for taking action. Inspire action by engaging people in crafting a personalized SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goal. Connect people with a body double (someone to get things done alongside) or accountability buddy. Equip folks with resources for sustainably reducing their inventory via donations, the buy-nothing project, recycling, and ultimately by gaining an awareness for and making a commitment to reduce inventory inflow. This problem is particularly meaningful to me as I feel like I struggled with overwhelm for many years. It’s been an onion-peeling process to reduce my own belongings and reduce my overwhelm, and on the other side, it has been liberating.
Sometimes when I got advice that would flip-flop back and forth, it seemed like a time I could provide option to others. I also got advice to narrow down my target market, and still others said that ‘environmentally conscious people’ was too narrow and would be exclusive. I don’t feel strongly one way or another about aforementioned advice. Perhaps I would need more tangible market feedback first to see how I would feel about leaning one way or another and iterating further.
In doing the financials I realized that I was having a hard time monetizing the project. It felt like I was pulling numbers out of thin air. I am not feeling particularly compelled to charge for the project, and at the same time, it seems like not everyone can just show up voluntarily forever because obviously I would have to pay for the costs of renting the space and hosting. Aka I have to eat. I find enough value in supporting people in reducing their overwhelm to where I might still pursue this personally in an ad hoc method rather than the framework I created. Perhaps there’s enough value to pursue the topic in a small way, but it’s not so crazily motivating for me to expand and scale the solution as of yet. I would love to get paid and paid well for doing what I do in this space, but perhaps the issue is finding the right clientele that would pay what I believe my value add is worth.
On the topic of taking initiative, I feel like this ability was largely muted in my life, especially with my career in corporate America, feeling like taking initiative was only rewarded when it was obviously visible to the right people at the right time, rather than something inherently rewarded. Most of my life I feel like I would do what I should do or what I thought I should do or even what others thought I should do. What taking initiative has forced me to do thus far is to choose entirely for myself and confront the responsibility of those choices. To commit and stick with a project or to scrap it and restart. To stick with a current iteration or to change and iterate the project. To reschedule things in my calendar in a way that flows better for me. To reduce the frequency of connection with folks that are not in a synchronous path with where I am going. To be able to quickly say no to an opportunity to take a leadership role in a charity that I’d be happy to support but am not inherently motivated by. To take the right opportunity at the right time to walk away from a job and business model that doesn’t resonate with my drive to help people live better lives.
Reflection:
• Did you learn anything about yourself in writing the essay?I have discovered that I didn’t like making decisions for myself because I had to confront the responsibility that came with choosing. But then in not choosing for myself, I feel resentful, towards myself, others, or both. Surprisingly, choosing for myself is liberating. Namely, in some of my life decisions, people have been telling me that I look excited, happy, energized, and at peace.
• Do you feel you changed more, less, or about the same as you expected before writing?
I don’t know that I feel changed – perhaps it’s that I’ve come into a greater awareness of myself.
• How do you feel about:
• Responsibility? – Responsibility comes with choices, and that which comes from choosing for oneself is comparatively lighter than that which results from being chosen for, at least so far.
• Motivation? – Intrinsic motivation is the most authentic, self-aligning type that creates high frequency emotions.
• Initiative? – Initiative can appear to be work. More often than not, it is or it can be. When it’s aligned with our authentic selves at the highest resonance, it becomes and feels like a joy. To get from work to joy, it’s a process.
• Entrepreneurship? – is more accessible than appears based on what people say. People get more caught up in what people think than what they could actually learn by taking action.
• What do you feel has been most meaningful, valuable, important, or purposeful about your project so far? Or your personal development?
Something meaningful about my project is that I discovered that the topic matters enough to me to pursue individually as I have in the past. Perhaps enough to pursue an iteration or two of my project to gain more feedback. However, it’s not something I feel like I would dedicate to as my life’s work at this current stage. Perhaps it’s something I’ve known, but haven’t prioritized accordingly. In the past, all the shiny objects appeared to be the same, and now they seem to vary in value to me for clearer reasons.
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Olivia,
I’m realizing you and I think much more similarly than I initially assessed. And yet, we also think very differently… I think. It seems we’re both learning and growing a lot, perhaps assisted by one another, which is cool! I totally feel you when you describe the responsibility of choosing for yourself. I relate it to letting go, too. It’s difficult and intimidating but frustrating when you fail to do so, and extremely liberating once you succeed.
I think I also used to view initiative somewhat similarly. It was like it was for certain people, or I could only employ it in certain ways. It’s becoming much more than that now.
I’m intrigued by our differences in the way we think about pursuing work/a career. Maybe it’s due to our current unique stages of life. I am hoping to try different things that I recognize as important and valuable for the world, with the mindset that even if it doesn’t immediately “speak to me”, maybe it will and maybe I’ll be quite good at it. On the other side of this, I really admire your ability to listen to yourself and say no to that offer that didn’t seem right for you.
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#9 Second essay.
This is my second essay. A lot has changed leading up to and during the start of this course. I’ve been on a path to build my sustainability network and knowledge, get involved in sustainability projects and change the way I show up to be more of a strategic leader on the topic and make it the next chapter of my career. So, principles 1, 4 and 6 are somewhat familiar and the initiative project has helped me strengthen their application.
The Initiative work has proven the value of 2,3,5 and 7 to me. Number 2 and 3 have exposed a bit of a false assumption on my part that all great ideas have to start out great. The danger is if you are convinced, they aren’t great to start, then you won’t bother working on them, give up hope and nothing ever happens. This is why the idea of ‘just start anywhere’ can be powerful. I’ve realized one thing leads to another and if you are open minded to recognizing opportunities that present themselves, they are very likely going to be good. I’ve proven this to myself by taking what seemed like big leaps of faith in the beginning but now look very small when I look back. Fear of the unknown or the unfamiliar can be paralyzing. I’ve been working to get comfortable being uncomfortable recently. What’s a little discomfort if you are making a bigger positive difference, even purposefully putting myself in uncomfortable situations to see if I can get through it. Passion trumps discomfort every time.
The iteration of a concept in my regular work is something I do often and it’s surprising I haven’t thought of it more consciously relative to sustainability problems. I like the idea of asking for advice rather than pitching to build an idea in number 6. Asking for help is something you often don’t do in many corporate environments and it is another blind spot I have to move forward from. I see this will differentiate me from the crowd. It’s become a different kind of superpower.
I am very process minded and bought in to using these 7 principles as a template to improve all of my problem-solution types and leadership presence. It doesn’t matter what the topic is. I recognize the entrepreneurial elements which have opened up a new pathway of thinking for me around my own start up opportunities that I hadn’t considered before. I’ve worked in a large organization for so long, that I’ve been blind to that path.
I like the practice concept. I see myself as a continuous improver so the Initiative work is a good fit.
Sustainability problems are often complex involving many factors in a system. Most people I’ve encountered do not think that way. They see a surface problem, think they understand it based on one factor, their egos get the better of them and jump to a solution that they thought of. We have to use different thinking to solve sustainability problems and in my early experience with this process, the new perspectives coming out of multiple rounds of advice have changed the shape and nature of my problem significantly for the better. It is essentially a new problem from when I started.
My experience in speaking to people who feel the problem and those in the field, is like getting free gifts of knowledge and insight that improve my chances of success. I get excited by the free gifts and they get excited by my enthusiasm and interest in their topic. This has created new energy and invigoration for both of us. In my case I’ve discovered an associated problem I wasn’t really thinking about, why employee sustainability engagement programs fail. This came out of a statement repeated a couple of times, “this program is no longer running”. So why is it no longer running? What are the factors that kill a sustainability engagement program? Is it energy, funding, key person leaves, no sponsor, the company out grows it, it didn’t meet expectations, not aligned with company goals? Anything I do to answer these questions will strengthen any programs I create and that improves the robustness and sustainability of it. I think I have enough information to create a model I could use to explain how to future proof a program or looking at it another way, how to improve the success of a program. In fact I have so much information, I haven’t been able to keep up with sorting, putting it into a structure and tying it all together. A good problem to have, I guess.
The depth of my model is progressing encouragingly well, but I think there is more learning to be had by speaking to others and trying it out in pilot runs. This is a tricky balance point. I have defaulted closer to perfection in the past but less so than in previous years. The rule in product innovation is to fail early and fail often will get you there faster. Nothing like a test run to find out what you need to make better.
My financial component needs work. I think I need to create a couple of scenarios. One for my existing company and one for others. Also a small program and a bigger program. This will help improve adaptability. I need to define what I’m doing and what others are doing more concisely to improve the reality check of costs.
WHERE AM I AT RIGHT NOW?
The further I develop the problem-solution, the more it seems like a real possibility. Right now I see it as something I could be doing as a role in the future that I get paid for. I see a path. I thought Nutrien had an employee sustainability program but by the owner’s admission, they don’t, it is just a pot of money to funding initiatives if anyone asks.It’s (the problem-solution) merging with other ideas and schemes I’m working on. I’ve converted the program owner to the idea of what’s missing and how product stewardship could enable the process. I’ve convinced a second person in the sustainability department to do some work with me and in return she now has a project that enhances her skills beyond her role that she is getting tired of. I plan to give a talk at a stewardship conference in a month about using the product stewardship function (something existing) as a starting point to enable product sustainability initiatives (something new). I’m late developing this talk though, I have to pull it off to start my Known Authority campaign. It’s a start, a crack in the sidewalk, it could lead to something great. It could collapse in an instant. The company is about to start a cost cutting project. This why I’m convinced you have to run with irrepressible optimism. It keeps me trying. Even, if these ideas collapse, it won’t be a failure because I’m learning, next time will be even better. I will be a better leader tomorrow than I am today (stole that from Marshall Goldsmith).
To be fair, I started this journey before the Initiative project. But the Initiative project has definitely boosted my drive. It is the next step. I don’t really have the time and I was hesitant to sign up but here I am. I guess we are all exactly where we are supposed to be at this point in time.
POST EXERCISE REFLECTION.
I think I already did that in the above but here goes.
Did I learn from writing this essay? Yes, made some connections to other things I’m doing and together, all of it feels like a much bigger wave of energy propelling me forward.
Do I feel differently having written the essay. Yes, taking the time to connect the pieces, I’m feeling more motivated, like I have an aggregated set of skills and a plan, more than a one trick pony, more being in a right place, much more capable. It’s amazing the effect a simple mindset shift can have. That’s been a big factor for me.
What has been most meaningful, valuable, purposeful about the project? It’s hard to say, I think the project was a spark that brought a lot of things together for me that was brewing for a while. It has surprised me that employee engagement in sustainability is such an obvious action to take on climate change and yet it seems to fail? Is that the right word? I would also say the conversations I have had on this specific topic were much more engaging and full of learning than meeting a new contact and talking about all the things you do. Much more intense and the things I learned were what helped me recognize the problem with the Nutrien program. If I hadn’t had those conversations beforehand, probably would have missed the opportunity.It’s getting late, going to NYC tomorrow, opportunity to meet Josh in person. I’m late with my essay but it was worth it to think things through.
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Method Initiative Exercise 9: Second Personal Essay
I started this class because for several years I have wanted to organize a “clean up Merida” project. I never acted on this idea because I didn’t know where to start and it seemed fruitless and overwhelming. The class has helped me realize that I could just “jump in” with my idea on my own and then let it grow from there. “Start with where you are and what you have”. Making a poster for my cart that says “I “heart” Merida” and picking up trash on Paseo Montejo on Sunday mornings has proven to be an energizing place to start because it both feels good to “do something” and because there has been positive feedback from people on the street every time I have gone out.
Thinking of “who” has the problem has been a different way to approach the problem than anything I have done before. When I started, I considered the trash on the street the problem. It is for me and it is for most of my friends. I wasn’t sure it was for local people. In thinking through what the negative feelings are and for whom, I realized that the feeling evoked by the trash is disgust, overwhelm and hopelessness. These are the feelings that paralyzed me and perhaps others. Though I have had formal conversations with friends and acquaintances that have confirmed that others have these feelings, the consistent response by strangers on the street thanking me for picking up trash reinforces the idea that others want it to be different but also don’t know how or where to start. With this in mind, I have gotten some supplies to share with others who want to join me on Sunday mornings while I work on organizing a larger community event.
The idea of iterations has helped me see the process as one that is expected to evolve. When the class started, I had in mind a city-wide event that would look like the Love Modesto event with which I was peripherally familiar. While I still have that as an eventual goal, the feedback from people who have organized similar events is to start small and learn from them how to scale up. Josh’s feedback that my Sunday morning pickups WERE a start encouraged me to keep it up.
It has been refreshing to have a structured purpose in reaching out to people that I might have been timid about reaching out to before. I have yet to make a real “cold call” because everyone with whom I’ve spoken has been someone in my community with whom I’ve had at least casual contact or a referral by someone with whom I’ve spoken (Classmates have been invaluable in giving referrals). I do feel the groundwork has been laid for making cold calls and I feel more comfortable and prepared to do so. I have had so much positive feedback that I expect people to be open and receptive to the idea of a clean-up event that would invite broader participation from the community. My challenge now is to establish a group of people committed enough to the idea to be on a “steering committee” to organize and plan an event. I have a visit to a local church scheduled. I am hopeful they will be interested in starting a project in their community and that there will be a person or two interested in heading up the project with me.
While I had difficulty completing the spreadsheet, it did make me think of what items/expenses to expect and how to obtain them. I have a better idea of what will be needed and thus have a list of things to bring to the table when organizing an event with a specific group. I believe that some of the people I have talked to in the business community will be willing to provide some financial support and “in kind” help such as with advertising or supplies. I think I still have a long way to go on this but it has gotten me started in assessing the costs and the benefits of the project to those who participate. Since I am not looking for this to be a “money-making” event, I have a different perspective than others. However, I also don’t want it to be a “money-losing” event.
I am thinking about how to make the event “sustainable”, as in not creating more trash and minimizing the need to buy new things with which to do the work. I am still pondering how to dispose of the trash collected. There are recycling centers that I would like to enlist as well as the trash collecting services that are already used by the city. I have discussed with classmates and others some options for how to have the volunteers identifiable when they are going about their work. Love Modesto uses T-shirts, and I like that idea because people are proud of them and wear them throughout the year providing more opportunities to get the word out. The idea of “repurposing” t-shirts that people already have doesn’t address the need to make them the same and identifiable from a distance. I am exploring what the most “sustainable” t-shirt might be and how much it would cost. Having a t-shirt be a part of what the volunteers “get” would be significant here. I have not settled on a solution to this but I am working on it.
I have now developed relationships with a number of “movers and shakers” in Merida who have voiced support and interest in the project. These conversations have not just been beneficial for moving forward with what I want to accomplish, they have also been personally satisfying. I have heard their stories and gotten to know them beyond a superficial level. I learned that Ireland used to be the worst European country for cleanliness until someone thought of starting a national movement to change it and thus was born “Tidy Towns Ireland”. This is a national competition for being the “tidiest” town in Ireland. It started in 1958 and is still going strong. According to my friend, it was pivotal in turning around the national “consciousness” of taking care of and pride in the country of Ireland. I wonder if something like that could be part of my project. Could we develop recognition for neighborhoods that decide to clean up their streets? Give them acknowledgments that would matter to them? Ireland has gotten my synapses firing. I also learned that there have been neighborhood structures in Mexico before, something like the Neighborhood Watch program except for keeping the neighborhood clean. It is an idea that has not continued, but there may be those who remember it and who would be motivated to help a new iteration come to life. Another conversation was with a young man who grew up in Campeche, a World Heritage Site city and the one with the designation of “the cleanest city in Mexico”. He grew up with that being emphasized in his schooling, in his home, and in the city-wide identity. He was shocked when he moved to Merida and saw the condition of the streets with ever flowing trash. Each of these people is part of my “circle” now and I will have no problems connecting with them as the community wide event plan evolves. All of these examples have seeded my own ideas that I will bring with me when developing our Merida project(s).
My next steps are twofold. One is to continue with my Sunday morning clean ups soliciting others to join me and the second is to meet with the church community that was a referral by a Padre in Merida. Now that I have a contact in the radio community, I will reconnect with him, too, and explore other media avenues for getting the word out. I have become a bit more trusting and relaxed (less stressed) about allowing this to grow organically as I continue the assignments and meet with more local people.
REFLECTIONS
I enjoyed writing this essay more than I imagined. I had felt pressured to “catch up” and was more in the mode of “getting it done” than actually benefiting from the process when I first sat down. However, as I began to write, I realized that I am more focused about the project than I was before. When the class started, I examined a few extraneous avenues before landing on “just” a clean-up project as a good goal. This was largely due to speaking with people who have done their own versions of “clean-up projects” that have endured decades and that have helped raise the awareness of trash and of stewardship. The experience of talking with people has been rewarding and effective in moving me forward both with ideas I want to incorporate and those that I don’t. Having had so many spontaneous contacts on the street on Sunday mornings has been fueling my determination to see this through. Meeting someone with a radio program last Sunday confirmed to me that local interest is there. I feel ready to take the next steps.
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