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January 2013 - Forecast for the Year
- The major theme for the year
- What do we want to create in our new world?
- Tips for the month
- Resources (links, books, articles, the lighter side)
January
2013 - Forecast for the Year
The major theme for 2013 is DREAM BIG!
We have just crossed a portal from the old world into the new world. We now have the opportunity to write our own future, letting go of the past restrictions that kept us bound in fear. We can now allow ourselves to DREAM BIG!
What do we want to create in our new world?
- Do we want to solve world hunger?
- Do we want to end senseless violence?
- Do we want all children to be safe?
- Do we want to change our energy systems to relieve our dependence on oil for fuel?
- Do we want all families to have a home of their own?
- Do we want to end all wars?
- Do we want everyone to have work that uses their own unique talents and abilities?
- Do we want an economy that provides enough for everyone?
- Do we want world peace?
- Do we want politicians to work together?
- Do we want all food and water to be safe and available to all?
- Do we want everyone to be happy?
- Do we want a world that works for everyone?
All of these are possible when we DREAM BIG!
The changes won’t happen overnight and we will each have to do our part to make the world a better place. And, first, we must allow ourselves to open our mind and our heart to greater possibilities.
We are already seeing signs that people are tired of the old ways and want changes made in our society. Collectively, we have a culture that is always seeking something better. Over the many past generations of life on this planet, we have seen steady improvements in the quality of life in some parts of the world. We have seen attention put on cleaning up our environment, on helping to improve our medical systems, on improving our safety systems and on helping families to cope with the every day stresses. We have seen miraculous inventions that have helped to improve our standard of living.
In other parts of the world, things are not as good as they are here where I am right now. We now have an opportunity to make even more improvements by letting go of the fears of the past by taking back our individual and collective power to make the world a better place.
Over the ages, we have grown used to letting "someone else" make our decisions for us — to tell us how to think and what to do and how to do it. We can choose to do things differently now. We can choose to speak up and stand up for what we want to see in the world. We have all seen what happens when a dedicated group of people are willing to stand up for something they believe in. We have seen the tremendous outpouring of support for those who have been caught in unpleasant situations or natural disasters. Our capacity to mobilize our energy for good is only bounded by our imagination.
When we allow ourselves to feel hope, to feel inspired and to feel love, there no telling what wonderful things we can create for our world. And, as we open up to those possibilities, we affect others who become inspired to step up and make a difference also.
Our social media is growing so that government can no longer suppress the
ability of the people to share ideas. Good news (and bad news) spreads
faster than a virus via the Internet. We have the structures in place to
mobilize a great number of people very quickly and can use that power to make
our world so much better than it is. The outpouring of inspiring sayings
and stories on December 21. 2012 was truly magnificent. It was the
supposed end of the Mayan calendar and for some people, the end of the world as
we know it. 
At the same time, some people were caught up in the fear that the world would physically end. It was a very interesting day in history — seeing the split focus on the extremes of wonderful possibilities and on extreme fear. Since we are still here on this planet, I’d say that the Hope carried the day. We hope that those who were afraid will begin to understand that fear is not the answer — Hope is the answer.
How would we rate our current world? If we gave it a report card, what would it look like? Would be an A, B, C, D or an F? That would depend on our own personal view, of course. Our own world might be adequate or it might be wonderful. Or, it might not be so good right now. Or, parts of it might be great and other parts, not so great.
What would we like to see for the world overall? Would we like the entire world to have an A+ experience? We can set our vision for a world that is that good. We can look at what needs attention in our life, right here and right now in front of us. And, we can look at the larger issues and join with others in talking about how we can make things better for ourselves and others. We can look at our work places, our homes, our schools, our communities and see how we can make improvements.
We can start by setting an intention that we work together to share ideas that can help someone else or help many others. We can join a work place task force focused on improving products or services. We can join in a neighborhood clean up project. We can become active in a school program that teaches our kids new ideas. We can work with the homeless or work in a soup kitchen, or donate time or money to our church or to a community organization. We can create a new organization to solve an issue that we care about. Or we can join the myriad of other groups that already exist to make our world better.
There so many possibilities that we can be part of when we DREAM BIG!
We do not believe there is a big "Master Plan in the Sky" that sets forth how mankind will evolve in the future. There is no one "out there" telling us how we should be. We believe that the future is still an unwritten play, with opportunities for each of us to create our own special part. We believe that improvising is the way to get to a better future. We can try ideas and if they don’t work out, we can try something else.
The main thing is to allow ourselves to DREAM BIG!
Every single day, we can take time to think about and talk about our highest possible vision for our world.
- We can use tools that inspire us to get out of our day-to-day rut.
- We can use the beauty that is all around us to help us connect with our higher emotional center.
- We can stop to enjoy the sunrise or the sunset or a beautiful cloud formation.
- We can take a few minutes to be inspired by the beautiful birds and flowers that surround us.
- We can marvel at the beauty in a local park or a lake or an ocean or the mountains wherever we are.
- We can allow ourselves to notice the beautiful people all around us.
- We can enjoy the rich variety of foods we have available to us.
- We can pay attention to the incredible art that is all around us.
- We can enjoy the miracle of a special child’s laughter.
- We can read stories about people who have changed their lives for the better or overcome huge challenges to break through to something greater.
And, we can know that all good things are possible if we only allow ourselves to DREAM BIG!
We don’t have to get dragged down into worrying about HOW we can accomplish this right now. The first part of any major change is to allow ourselves to DREAM BIG! Over time and with the help of others who add in their own great ideas, we can work out the details in small steps. We can refuse to be overcome with fear and feeling like "I can’t do it — it’s too big" and remember that the only thing that ever changed the world is a small group of committed people.
What is your own personal dream for the future? What gets you excited and feeling like you are powerful?
Some tips for the month
Take some time this month — every single day:
- To open your mind and let it expand to what could be possible.
- Start or join a visioning group at your work place for improving your business or a group for improving your community.
- Actively seek out new ideas, new people and new resources to open your mind and your heart.
- Look around for great ideas and how ordinary people are making a difference in the world.
- Notice the success stories all around us.
- Actively seek out people and ideas that make you feel inspired and hopeful.
- Stay away from people and ideas that make you fearful and make you feel restricted. Ignore the fear-based news.
- Ask children for their ideas about how to make the world better and truly listen to what they say.
- Make your own list of what you would like to see in our world. Share your ideas with others and brainstorm what might be possible for our world.
- Take the time to DREAM BIG!
Internet Resources
- Beginning of the film Hair and the song "The Age of Aquarius" (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhbxI5eVnM4
- We are Here to Inspire (Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/weareheretoinspire?ref=ts&fref=ts
- Live Life Happy http://www.livelifehappy.com/
- How does one become a butterfly? asked Pooh. http://www.livelifehappy.com/how-does-one-become-a-butterfly/
- Where good ideas come from (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU
- How 3M Gave Everyone Days Off and Created an Innovation Dynamo http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663137/how-3m-gave-everyone-days-off-and-created-an-innovation-dynamo
- 3M Innovation Stories http://solutions.3m.com/innovation/en_US/stories
- 3Ms Seven Pillars of Innovation http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2006-05-09/3ms-seven-pillars-of-innovation
- How social media can make history (video) http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/clay_shirky_how_cellphones_twitter_facebook_can_make_history.html
- TED@State: New ideas for a Better World http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/TEDState-New-Ideas-for-a-Better-World
- TED: Ideas worth spreading http://www.ted.com/
- On being wrong about business talks http://blog.ted.com/2012/12/24/favorites-of-2012-on-being-wrong-about-business-talks/
- Today, I dream http://robertmuller.org/rm/R1/Home.html
Books - Disclosure:
We get a small commission for purchases made via links to Amazon.
- Where Good Ideas Come From: the Natural History of Innovation. Stephen Johnson Riverhead Trade, 2011. ISBN 978-1594485381
- How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Updated Edition. David Bornstein. Oxford University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0195334760
- The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation. John Gertner. Penguin Press, 2012. ISBN 978-1594203282
- Enlightenment for Nitwits: The Complete Guide to 2012 & Beyond. Shepherd Hoodwin. Summerjoy Press, 2011. ISBN-13: 978-1885469120 (very funny!)
- Transforming Your Dragons: Turning Personality Fear Patterns into Personal Power. Jose Stevens. Bear & Co; (July 1994) ISBN: 1879181177
- Income Without a Job: Living Well Without a Paycheck. Michael Jay Anthony, Barbara J. Taylor. Lulu.com, 2008 ISBN-13: 978-0-557-00377-8. Website: www.income-without-a-job.com. Tap into your own creativity and use your full potential. Learn how to see opportunities that others miss.
Articles
Related newsletter articles:
June 2009 - Imagine a Vision and
Make It Real
March 1997 - Creativity at Work
June 2000 - Taking Initiative at
Work
February 2007 - Visioning for the
Future
April 1998 - Vision: Expanding Your
Thinking
August 2006 - Leadership
Vision
The Lighter Side
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead.
Shared on Facebook:
DREAM BIG!
If there were ever a time to dare,
To make a difference,
To embark on something worth doing, it is Now.Not for any grand cause, necessarily -
But for something that tugs at your heart,
Something that’s your aspiration,
Something that’s your dream.You owe it to yourself
To make your days here count.
Have fun. Dig deep. Stretch.Know though, that things worth doing
Seldom come easy. There will be good days.
And there will be bad days.There will be times when you want to turn around,
Pack it up and call it quits.Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself,
That you are not afraid to learn by trying.
Persist.Because with an idea, determination and the right tools,
You can do great things.Let your instincts, your intellect and your heart Guide you.
Trust.Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard. Of laughing and hoping. Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.The start of something new, brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible. There is only one you.
And you will pass this way only once.Do it right!
~ Author Unknown
Source: from http://www.adammichaelbrewer.com/dream-big, used by permission.
About our resource links: We do not endorse or agree with all the beliefs in these links. We do keep an open mind about different viewpoints and respect the ability of our readers to decide for themselves what is useful.
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