If you still believe growth is the cure

“If you still believe that growth is the only way to improve our world … start with health, freedom, love or peace.”

While economy is based on the assumption that only growth in production and consumption will lead to more prosperity, it appears there is a movement that started to acknowledge more universal desires, which in fact are not seeking for quantitative growth. There is a new quest is for less consumption, but better experiences; be it health, freedom, love or peace, we see an uprising of being versus having, quality versus quantity, experience versus possession.
Change is no more the sole vehicle for economic growth alone; change has become an option, and keeping the status quo has become an alternative. To some degree, this made ‘conservative’ a bad term, even though most people will indisputable agree that there are not many values like nature, freedom, love and peace, that deserve it more to be protected, preserved.

This is not about stagnation at all; it is about progressive change of our value system.
If we wish to pursue our long lasting future, we will need to move away from the illusion of eternal materialistic growth. We will need to move towards more ethically inspired concepts of qualitative growth, that – even when wasted or pervasively brought forward to all people in this world – may bring qualitative prosperity to every human being, and pave the way to a sustainable future.

One of the major steps to take will be the change of our measurement systems. We will not be able to measure the qualitative growth and progress in simple spreadsheets or existing currencies of our financial world. We will need to agree on a new currency, that denominates not financial wealth, but sustainability, quality of living, universal values.

Today, I have a more sound belief, that across any given culture in our diverse world, we ultimately share the same values, if we only take it to a high enough level. I have a hope that, fueled by our ability to overcome biological determinism, we take the chance to work on a joint future, to create a higher set of values that unite, and abdicate those that have taught us to compete and fight.
(mp)

What will you keep doing next year?

Have you made up your new year resolutions for next year yet?

If not, then hurry up, there are just a few hours left! – Think of all the things that you did not achieve this year, and for sure will make better next year. – Don’t leave out any of your characteristics, behaviours, habits that you learned to hate about yourself last year! Ensure you remember everyting you did not achieve this year, like doing more sports, eating healthy, loosing weight, spending more time with you kids and being a spouse! – When you are truly honest to yourself, you will conlclude: You really need to change yourself next year!”

Do you feel energized for a change now?

I just came across the status message on a different social network, where an old friend asked: “What would you like to do differently next year?”

All right, I know well that my friend is in the people-business of personnel development, helping companies and individuals change the way they want to be, and he is doing that well. – However, I was left wondering: why do most people focus primarily on things they think they need to change, instead of starting with the things they wish to keep doing in the next year?

Have you ever looked at all those things over the past 365 days, that actually did work well? Did you recognize your little habits, spleens and characteristics that made you different from all the other people around you? Did you ever look at them as welcomed part of your personality? Have you ever appreciated the things that worked for you, because you did it in your own, unique way?

What was the last time you gave yourself a clap on your shoulder?

In case you cannot remember the last time you felt proud about yourself – why not try things differently today? Why not start from what worked well, formulating a resolution about what you will keep doing next year?

If you truly want to change, you need to know what will remain!

Start with identifying your smaller and larger achievements. Embrace your milestones, that mark up what went well for you last year, because you did it your way. Make sense out of your decisions, which you took because in that particular moment, it was the right time, right place and the right people … or simply because nothing else was an option. Enjoy the feeling of having made progress in your life, because finally you made it to this New Year mainly by your own strength.

Think of the explorer on his expedition, the mountaineer on his Himalaya challenge: just as they all start their journey from a base camp that gives them home and strength, it is your personal choice, if you start into the new year from your points of failure, or if you start from your personal base camp of strength.

Sail on into a Happy New Year 2011 !

– Marcus Pietrzak