”Just a reminder that you don’t have to make resolutions. Or huge decisions. Or big proclamations. You can just set some sweet intentions and take each day as it comes.” - Victoria Erickson, author
Warmest of New Year’s greetings to you all as we reset from the festive season and set forth on a new adventure. My wish for the days that make up the unfolding of 2023 is for each and every one of us to set some sweet intentions. Intentions that create their own special kind of personal and social revolution. The last few years have heralded a lot of talk from social commentators, inspirers and influencers, about reframing our thinking when it comes to New Year’s resolutions. The paradigm shift sees a one-letter change, but a significant change in our mindset. Moving from resolution to revolution immediately invokes a greater sense of action, of collective desire, agency and urgency. There can be no doubt that the time for a global revolution is nigh - in fact, it’s long overdue. Covid-19, political conflicts and increasing climate change have intensified the call for a revolution that begins with each individual being activated by a belief that they can make a difference. Activists of all kinds, our young people, and indigenous peoples the world over know how vital it is to exercise the power of one. We need to make more space for these voices to be around the decision-making tables. Let’s keep the momentum going, because whether we believe it or not, our world is in crisis and we need a whole lot of collective sweet intentions to activate the revolution that we need.
Some 10 years ago now, on a flight back to Auckland from San Francisco, I had the good fortune to sit next to one of the world’s leading researchers in climate change. His area of specialty was flood plains and glacial retreat. In his day job he worked at the University of Pennsylvania, mentoring engineering students about a revolutionary way of looking at town planning and urban design that enables towns and cities to reclaim their natural environments, moving urban and town centre development away from riversides. This approach to environmental engineering was based on his years of research into the impact of climate change, with longitudinal studies in the Arctic Circle as well as in the South Island, where he has monitored and mapped glacial retreats over three decades. Over the course of that 10-hour flight, I participated in one of the most life-changing conversations I have ever had. I was profoundly reminded that we are at the tipping point, and that every action we take has the power to make a difference. Everything we do, individually and collectively, can result in the revolution that we need. We’ve just got to keep believing in it. We also need some champions to help drive us forward when the momentum slows.
The International Women’s Day theme for 2023 seeks a revolution to #EmbraceEquity. It calls on us all to imagine a gender-equal world. A world where difference is valued and in which we celebrate women’s achievements and raise awareness about discrimination. This aspirational theme reflects the idea that change actively resides within each of us, and the personal power that we have to activate our sweet intentions. “Each one of us can actively support and embrace equity within our own sphere of influence.” Discover how you can contribute and find out more about the IWD: International Women’s Day 2023 campaign theme, #EmbraceEquity, at: internationalwomensday.com. Look out for our own revolution in the form of La Fiesta, New Zealand’s best and only women’s festival, co-ordinated by the Women’s Network, starring women [and some fellas too] from home and away. It all kicks off on February 10 and runs for a whole month, right through to March 10. The festival takes its entire inspiration from International Women’s Day, commemorated annually around the world on March 8. Only here in Whanganui, we have a whole month to celebrate! Festival guides and posters are in print this week. In the meantime, download your copy of our festival guide online at: https://lafiestanz.com, or email womnet.whanganui@gmail.com.
