A kind re-start

“If my mind can conceive, and my heart can believe, I know I can achieve” (Jesse Jackson).

Learnings of the week:

“When my mind conceives too much my body suffers!”.

Lack of balance between hours in front of the computer and hours of leisure, produces body, head and eyes ache, and difficulty to sleep and relax. Trust me!

“Not everything our mind conceives is believed by our hearts!”

If you are creative and have ever tried the lottery; you certainly have seen yourself smiling at the tube imagining your trillions. As well as thought of things like "well, but it is impossible to win anyway", etc. In a smaller scale the idea is the same for any over imagined project or barriers we build to achieve results. Sometimes the mind conceives too much; sometimes the heart believes too little.

“You can learn via love or pain!”

I challenge you to try not to remain present during a waxing! You may dream of stream and birds singing, but one pull is enough to bring you completely back to now. It is always possible to learn through pain; but, isn't it a better choice to try to be present in a dinner with friends, for example?

“To achieve what our heart believes it is necessary to keep the focus on now”

Until humanity invents teleport, to go from one place to the other requires one step (or a flown mile) after the other. Big projects are made of small and cumulative attitudes. Presence is essential, since in many cases maintaining focus doesn't mean knowing where you are going, but acting in order to make the trip possible.

“Honest acts of kindness and presence produce more natural and better outcomes than a compulsion for results”.

Results are consequences; and no matter how planned they escape most of our control. However, as Kevin Costner, I believe that "if you build, they will come". Positive actions generate positive reactions; coherence between discourse and attitude too.

So, this was my week in essence; much learning only possible after much reflection. Concretely, this week I thought about many things I needed or wanted to do. Notebook at hand, I listed each and every thing I thought important and defined few initial actions.

With a 05 page (only!) list; I closed the notebook; memorized some actions; and with that "well done me" feeling; allowed myself to an Internet break. And... didn't open the notebook no more! I spent hours on the computer between e-mails and facebook applications, articles and movies. I found some inspirational things, but I also found a lot of things that made me get out of reality. And, if I started to clarify the campaign for me and the world, I also saw me disconnecting from now.

In my mind a voice (probably Jesse Jackson's) was telling me I could achieve anything; and that I should focus on Hollywood to say the least. But as “not everything our mind conceives is believed by our hearts!”; I spent hours in the computer thinking about a billion “What Ifs?”; without one concrete outcome. I barely slept and I almost got sick. Because “when the mind conceives too much the body suffers!”, no doubt!

Worst! While doing crazy plans I stopped paying attention on what was essential: to be kind and present! Half (a far) way to a Kung Fu class I remembered I had forgotten my trousers. I went back home fuming, wanting to punch something (if not myself) for being unable to walk the talk. . The anger made kindness (with me and the others) disappears. But at least I landed on reality; rediscovering that “one can learn via love or pain!”

Next morning I took a deep breath and re-started. I brought plans to reality and actions to the present. I fixed the blog and gave some time to projects that also needed attention. I did what was possible and soon I started receiving some virtual and presencial support. Their symbolic value was enough to give me my presence back and reminded me that “to achieve what our heart believes it is necessary to keep the focus on now”.

The small victories helped me to regain balance. I wa able to be kind, what made me promote the blog in an unexpected level. At the same time, past kindnesses came back with positive results. It all confirmed that “honest acts of kindness and presence produce more natural and better outcomes than a compulsion for results”.

So, hopefully, all this has result in a clearer campaign with better chances of becoming reality. To participate, check the different links such as the "Join” one, but do not limit yourself to them. This campaign is not finished; as neither of us is. It is however, full of a hope that we are all on our way to a better now! I know mine is already changing!

“If my mind can conceive and my heart can believe; I know I can achieve” (Jesse Jackson).

About the campaign

Certainly, most people agree they would rather live in a better World. In fact, there are plenty of them pursuing the dream of a brighter future through personal activities, projects and NGOs. However, change is often postponed for tomorrow; most people do not believe this change is possible to be experienced ‘now’.

This campaign aims to promote the awareness that changing the World to a better place, being happier and having a more fulfilling life is possible now. It understands that the human being is the beginning of any process. And that personal choice combined with attitude can provoke both instantaneous and sustainable change on perceptions, behaviours, discourses and outcomes.

Its main vision is that by freely choosing to exercise presence and apply a simple concept such as kindness, any person can achieve “a better now” and bring transformation to the World, both in the present and for the future.

Moreover, it is based on values of respect, empathy, integrity, honesty, and joy. These are manifested in varied ways through actions of kindness and presence in three different levels: personal (ourselves); societal (other people) and environmental (the World).

Finally, this campaign intends to show ways, not provide recipes or set standards. It aims to use the power of communication and technology via networks to create awareness; to give alternatives and to promote causes with similar values and goals. It believes no one is an island; and that by acting from us, but together; results can be intensified and sustained.

Methodology

The campaign will be promoted and launched virtually, with available material in English and Portuguese.

If human and financial resources allow, it will increase its promotion and activities to focus on two developed Countries: the US and the UK; and two developing Countries: Brazil and India. The first 02 chosen for their influence (especially exercised via media, arts and technology) increasing the range of the campaign and its possibilities of success. The last 02 chosen for their increasing importance in the global economic scenario; believing that by advocating attitude and cultural change to them in the present this may also increase their importance in the global humanitarian scenario and set new standards.

To achieve its objectives, the campaign has an action plan following these steps:

1. To create and present ideas

To use virtual communication tools available nowadays (website, blog, podcast, twitter, facebook, videologs, etc) and create a content that explains the campaign and its concepts, as well as, promotes ways to participate on it.

Ideas will be presented in a clear and straight forward manner, using a personal and common approach as much as possible. It will also consider cultural differences that might impact on the reception and acceptance of the message; adjusting the material content to idiomatic expressions of each language.

The material and content will be developed personally or through partnerships with interested companies and professionals.

2. To provide examples and engage

In order to facilitate awareness and motivate participation, examples on how the concepts can be understood and applied will be provided through different material.

These will report personal experiences of different people that have tried the concepts; or promote existent interesting/ethical activities that can be linked with kindness and presence.

Moreover, considering that people respond better when they can relate to other people; examples will use a personal approach as much as possible. With the intention to encourage engagement, guarantee a connection, and increase results; ambassadors will be searched among personalities recognized by their integrity, kindness, ethics, professionalism and concrete attitudes coherent with the campaign ideals.

3. To facilitate content sharing

To achieve this, all campaign material will be available to be shared by participants with their network, increasing the campaign range.

A community will also be created around the campaign. Merchandising material to identify participants will be available, as well as spaces (such as forums and groups) in which they can show their support, post own experiences and examples; and meet like-minded people with similar interests and experiences on targeting the concepts.

If you too believe "a better now" is possible, join and support this campaign!

Do not leave for tomorrow what you can start now!

Online activism

We live in a connected world. A world where distance became reality to the size of our souls and disposition.

For example, today I received an email from a friend advertising the petition of a human right's NGO called Avaaz. The petition was about a law in Uganda, that at first wouldn't affect my life at all. But as I believe the butterfly effect and the history of the 100th monkey; I signed and shared the link on facebook.

The fact is that it wasn't difficult to support an organization the believes, as I do, in “closing the gap between the world we have, and the world most people everywhere want” . I didn't even need to risk my life as one of their campaign's coordinator does. All I needed was 2 minutes of my time to answer an e-mail at my inbox.

Chances like this reminded me of this quote I love by Edward Everett Hale: “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do".

If you also want to know and contribute to the organization, go to their website and follow their campaigns at:   http://www.avaaz.org/en/about.php#howwework. And by the way, the picture above was taken from it.

Procratination, a word I adore!

I don’t know about you, but I have a problem (in fact many, but I’ll share one at a time in order not to scary you too fast): I procrastinate!

It is more or less like an escalated writer’s block with a perfect logic behind it! I sit my @$$ in front of the computer, but “since the inspiration didn’t show up in the first 30 seconds”, I feel “it’s not the right moment” and so, “I’d better watch another chapter of my favourite TV show”! When I realize the whole season is over; I haven’t done what I need or want; and I spent so much time in the computer I now have a headache.

This normally happens in two moments: when I want to start something; or when I have just finished a task. In the first case, there always seems to be “something better” to do and so, I postpone projects and ideas. In the second, it my brain shuts off satisfied as soon as a task is over, giving me a “deserved break” even if there’s still a bunch of things on my to-do-list to cover.


This is how I postpone plans, life projects, small and big changes, diets, to exercise, apologies, e-mails' answers, and in many cases, my happiness. And I'm especially creative in my procrastination, being able to spend the afternoon in a perfect imaginary party's soundtrack or playing Angry Birds in the computer. Meanwhile life goes by and doesn't come back. I repeat (in a vain attempt to convince myself): IT DOESN'T COME BACK!

However I've become more conscious about the impacts of procrastination and decided to fight it. After all, as Mark Twain said: " Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do." and he is right. And I? I don't want to be a disappointed person; on the contrary! So I follow his advice: "so throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover" And I? I'll live!

From where do we start?

From the beginning... the first step... the first text... the decision together with the action... from anywhere! What is most important is to begin!  

This blog is an invitation I made myself to start something real to change what I believe isn't fine: NOW, RIGHT AWAY, IMMEDIATELY! I'd like to forward this invitation to you! 

It's simple! It mix things I discovered about me, to things I'd like to see happening and an idea!

Things I discovered about me

- I'm impatient; I want things to happen right now!

- I adore life; think it's a gift and that I should enjoy it to the most!

- I'm not an island; what I do impact other people and the World and vice-versa!

- I have a choice!

Things I'd like to see happening 

- a happier World!

- people becoming more conscious, whole, free and happy!
- people complaining less and doing more!

The idea

- To live a better now!

How?

Applying simple concepts to concrete actions: being kinder, making better choices, being more present, being more patient, smiling more often, acting lighter, sharing good things, questioning things that doesn't make sense etc. All to improve myself and possibly affect people and the world; so that my "right now" is better and I become happier (yes, the proposal is totally egoistic after all)!

Here is the invitation! I believe a better now starts with me; how about you?