“The spirit of Ubuntu is very difficult to render into Western language. It speaks of the very essence of being human. You are generous, caring, and compassionate. It means that my humanity is bound up in yours,” and embodies the ideas of community, connection, caring and kindness.” - ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU

The change in seasons represented on the calendar by solstice and equinox always signal a time for me to reflect on the season past, express gratitude and open my attention to what I intend during the season to come. Summer in the northern hemisphere brought many challenges in our global community in any domain you want to consider, environment, civil society, health and safety, government, education, and economics. Some of these domains experienced cascading crises in the Autumn experienced in the southern hemisphere.

Dignity means we all matter equally, every person has equal, inherent value. Through it all, we all belong to the human family here on Planet Earth. For that privilege we also share a responsibility to be thoughtful and pay attention to our part in generating experiences, the good and the not so good ones. That is the role of belonging. The quote shared above from Archbishop Desmond Tutu always reminds me of our interconnectedness despite geographic distance and differences in our ways of life. When I keep that reminder front and center each day, I can see the world as it is and notice gentleness, bravery and kindness that coexists with other more challenging experiences.

We champion Generative Wholeness at inviteCHANGE because over twenty-five years I and our team members directly witness the harmony and wellbeing that generative living produces. In this monthly opportunity to share my worldview, know that what I offer arises from my engagement with executive leaders, philanthropists, teams in many different sectors of our economy and participants who seek out our learning programs based in the professional coaching paradigm. Each day I feel humbled by the magnificent courage and passion that each of our relationships reveals. I am also grateful for the opportunity to shape a world where people love their life’s work, and we continue to make progress on our vision to touch 1.0 billion people by 2030. Without knowing how or when we reach out milestones, the intention to generate an experience of love sustains our excellence and creates an empowering field for engagement and belonging to occur. To continue our effort in the month ahead, we mark another October tradition on the 19^th of October, Global Dignity Day, where everyone, everywhere is invited to look beyond what divides us and recognize the dignity and humanity we share. We will also contribute and celebrate World Values Day on the 20^th of October, with a panel discussing this theme, Values for Community. If you want to join us on social media, here’s three steps:

1. Declare a value you are claiming to fully embody for the year to come.
2. On 20^th October, share your value on social media and use the hashtag #WorldValuesDay2022. It’s an opportunity to acknowledge our core values, model them and celebrate all those who choose to embody and uphold the human values that generate belonging.
3. Join us in voicing your appreciation for the brilliant people in your life. Visit, www.worldvaluesday.com for more ideas!

I awoke a couple days ago with a song lyric from Tracy Chapman in my head, “Say it, say it, say it. Tell it like it is.” The energy and sensations in my body were intense, catching my attention in many ways. I’ve shared a bit of the entire song below with the intent to inspire you to express your voice, to be alert for opportunities to show up and step up, participating in your family, local communities, states, provinces, nations, and any gathering where your gifts and point of view contribute to creating a world that works for all.

Last month’s Vanguard Conversation Series session with Dr. Laurence Hillman explored CIVILITY. If you missed it live, I do hope you will give yourself the gift of 50 minutes to listen to the recording where you will find a lively exchange filled with practical and inspiring ideas to develop an archetypal eye that transcends othering and strengthens our capacity to live from wholeness in every choice. The next installment occurs in November with visionary global leader Neil Scotton, PCC who will join us for an exploration of JUDGMENT. If you want a little preview, have a listen to the TEDx Talk, Judgement is the Key to Inviting Change I delivered this Spring.

In closing, I am headed for a two-week vacation, fully offline and immersed in the land of Egypt. I hope each one of you have also found ways to restore your energy, spirit, and soul during this turbulent year, and if not, there’s still 14 weeks to go. Please, make you a priority! If you are like most people right now, you see creating a balance between your personal and professional lives as beyond challenging or reasonable to accomplish. In this article you will find a useful perspective and I loved the closing line, “Work, when it engages us, is life-affirming.” That is what we mean by our vision to touch 1.0 billion by 2030 by shaping a world where everyone loves the life’s work – in whatever form that occurs. If you are not, remember you always have the power of choice, invite change.

Cheers,

Janet

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