"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 greetings to you all as we bask in the glow of summer. My wish for the days ahead that make up the unfolding of 2022, is for each and everyone of us to set some sweet intentions. Intentions that create their own special kind of personal and social revolution. The past couple of 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. Many would say it's long overdue. We require 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 sweet intentions from us all to activate the revolution that we need.
Some 10 years ago, 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 speciality 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 10 hours on our 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 just gotta keep believing in it.
The International Women's Day theme for 2022 seeks a revolution to #BreakTheBias. It calls on us all to imagine a gender-equal world. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. This aspirational theme reflects the idea that change actively resides within each of us and the personal power that we have to set our own sweet intentions. "Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day ...Together, we can all break the bias, on International Women's Day and beyond."
