"We grow up being curious, then get cautious."
Author Unknown
I'm curious about a few things:
Why do we try to reduce duplication?
We use different methods of marketing to get the same message out, that's duplication. Offering similar initiatives, programs and services focused on the same outcomes are necessary too. I contend that we need duplication in order to be effective. People need to hear messages and have access to services in different ways, delivered by different people/organizations, that infiltrate different places and spaces if we truly want to make shift happen. There isn't one trusted messenger or service provider, one silver bullet, one funding source, one way to do things. Bottom line, society needs duplicate services that address specific needs to capture the attention, motivation and activation of those who fall outside of the mediocre majority.
Why are we addicted to mediocracy?
If we all are shooting for the middle, the edges will still be intact. And in order to make shift happen those edges have to explode as well. Seems to me that the majority of services, products, initiatives, funding, etc. are focused on the mediocre middle. What would happen if we put more focus on the edges, like the Olympic Own the Podium program? Seems that our elite athletes are excelling so what if we apply that same expectation and focus on the other edge, those who have little; hope, security, income, health? If we're trying to build a culture of wellness perhaps it's those who are least well that we need to engage, and I don't mean consult, provide for or determine their needs. I mean collaboration and integration of wisdom and action with those on the edges. Determining solutions together, actioned by the people because they decided what they want and need is going to make shift happen.
Why is stuck a four letter word?
Picture an elephant stuck in the mud. While this may appear to be a difficult situation, it is a time to settle in and sit in the moment. To soak in what lies around, reflect on synergies and determine possibilities. It's common to think that we will always have homeless people. I think people who are homeless will take over the world! Just like I believe we will eradicate cancer. Do I live in a dream world? At times yes. Think about women in the Middle East, a short time ago it was not a possibility to even think there would be gender equality, or that India or China would become economic powerhouses globally. They were stuck and have been 'sitting in the moment' for some time. Now look how they are making shift happen!
What do we need to do to make shift happen?
We're doing it, whether we see it or not, shift is occurring. We're shifting from efficiency to learning, from individual to community, from singular to plural. We need to recalibrate our base premises of how we work, who we work with, and what we believe are the limitations and possibilities. Let's continue to push what duplication means, shift from mediocracy to collision of wisdom, and to embrace our stuckness through curiosity.
Stay Curious My Friends, Stay Curious!
