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ENDING WITH GRACE9/11/2023 In my book, Provocateurs, Chapter 8 talks about Envisioning the End you Intend. A foundation I have followed through the years is closing down its operations for good. I got the chance to talk to the current Executive Director about the rationale and the processes they're working leading to this path. Ending with grace is a purpose-driven response to closures, good byes, and changes. This means a lot for those who were part of the organizational journey from the very start, the founders- Board, Staff, members, grant recipients, and the people on the ground who were touched by the impact funding and breakthrough activities. This means a lot as well to those countless people in the community who were involved in some ways or another to the activities and programs and celebrations of solidarity with the people in the South. I am quite shocked at first as an outsider to hear this but I salute the courage to truthfully assess their situation. This is a very difficult decision to make and no Board, staff, or members would take this further unless it's considered to be (at that time) the best alternative amongst other options. As a consultant and advisor, I can't get into the minds of the decision-makers but I believe that there is a bundle of rationales that are taken into consideration in such an undertaking. But what happens next is not really much discussed but fortunately, my book looks at many such wondrous things that can take place after closures. Evidence is replete with many spin-offs, small and large that can I heard from the Executive Director that a bunch of members is meeting informally over coffee. All good things will end eventually but this is an interesting development to watch. We can all learn from this process and be amazed as to what 'reimagining the futures' would be like for this community.
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FALLING INTO PLACE9/4/2023 ![]() Remember a time when you walked into a room and you sensed belonged or met a complete stranger and felt that you clicked. You didn't figure out what happened but you knew something happened that made it work. For some people, they call it a magical moment, a cosmic reaction, or chemistry. But for me, this was a situation of ease where what happened was not a product of your hard work but your non-work. Lately, these days, they would say, ' trust the process.' You can't trust the process if you don't know what process you're at. So many people are caught up in the hustle of life and business that they forget what actually makes them feel truly alive and well. That goes to show, that much of what we are programmed to do does not mean it's good in the long run. Today's mantra is 'you can do everything and be somebody' but in reality, we can only do something that we're really good at (to get paid at it) and not more. Based on the latest poll, students these days wanted to be social media influencers and YouTube creators than planning on entering a profession and spending a few years honing their craft. They'd rather be millionaires now (as promised to them by those marketers) than complete degrees, certifications, apprentice work, and more work. Being at ease is not just being comfortable. It's being comfortable despite the uncertainty and what goes into surrendering with that process. Eventually, it is being yourself and understanding that whatever comes, will come eventually. It is of the belief that your life is full of abundance and not of scarcity and lack. That your life is a not a series of boom and bust but a cycle of renewal and dissolution. Chance and luck happens to all of us. Adversities happen to everyone. It's up to you to be in the situation of ease even when things are not falling into place. |