What is the best kind of action?
To answer that question first we have to think about why we're taking action.
We're taking action to solve a problem, right?
And what's the problem?
Well, as has been highlighted in the question of the week post in the ecoTrain community there are a great many problems in the world. And while most of us would probably like all major world issues to be magically resolved, it's fair to say that each of us are driven to resolve different ones based on our own experiences and values.
So if you and I probably want to focus on solving different problems don't we need different kinds of actions to resolve each different one?
Hmmm, maybe not.
I want to boldly suggest that what I'm going to share in this post will apply to solving any problem.
And it's not protesting. It's not writing letters to politicians, or to news outlets. It's not signing petitions. And it's not donating money to particular causes, charities or organisations.
Every one of these may be worthwhile uses of your time. Every one of these may be effective. But my favourite way to take action, the way that I think is the very best kind of action to take, looks nothing like any of these. Let me explain:
These kinds of action--and almost everything else you can think of is that has ever been done before--are outward focused kinds of action.
But there's another kind and while it's arguably more challenging, it can be a helluva lot more effective. This kind of action is what I'll call inward focused action.
There are, in fact, several different expressions of "inward focused" action but for the sake of this post I'm going to present them altogether as a "kind" of action separate from one specific technique or tactic.
Are you ready for me to explain this some more? It's crazy effective at creating powerful change but it can be confronting as heck. Ready?
Inward focused actions
(to solve the world's problems)
have you looking in the mirror, at yourself,
and asking the question:
"How am I contributing to this problem?"
And then, you take new action from that place.
We don't want to admit it, but so very often we are as much a part of the problem as we are the solution. These two are inextricably linked.
If we want less violence in the world we have to first clean up our own violent behaviour. Even if the only violence we can find is the unkind things we say about ourselves, to ourselves, inside our own head.
If we want justice in the world for marginalised groups of people or animals or rainforests we need to look at where in our own lives are we behaving unjustly. Where are we hurting other living things? Where are we not protecting other living beings? Where are we behaving in a way that we would be ashamed of if we had to admit our actions to a huge group of our own peers?
If we want changes to be made by our leaders then we need to look at where we have been unwilling to make necessary, uncomfortable changes in our own lives. We want them to be fairer, but are we being fair to those around us and even to ourselves?
This inward focused way of beginning to take action creates incredible ripples outward. Instead of pointing the finger and blaming we take personal responsibility and change things in our own lives, our own homes, and with our own families.
This then inspires others to take actions of their own, to clean up their own behaviours in their own lives. That then inspires even more people--who we personally could not reach directly--to do the same.
And there's another layer still; while all this awesome, self-empowered rippling of new behaviour is happening, you--the person who started it all--suddenly realise you feel more hopeful, more energetic, more calm and capable and confident. From this emotional state you make better decisions and amazing things can happen.
That letter you wanted to write? You now have a clearer way of sharing what's in your heart. And when it gets read by one person, they end up in tears and they forward it to the next person and the next person and the next person, until you watch it virally move across social media channels reaching tens or even hundreds of thousands of people, creating a wave of awareness and impact bigger than you imagined was possible.
That charity you wanted to support? From your calm and hopeful state you have an idea, out of the blue, that will raise thousands of dollars for them rather than just the spare bit you have left after you've paid your bills. Better than that, you're excited, enlivened, enthusiastic to the degree that people can't say 'no' when you ask them to support you. You help the charity and its cause, and in the process you have a ball.
That not-for-profit organisation you thought you'd start 'one day'? You start it today. You realise that today is your day and that you've collected enough skills and enough knowledge and enough people in your network, and that you're the person who's finally going to make it happen.
Inward focused action is the best kind of action and it's the best way to begin the process (or even continue the process) of solving the world's biggest problems. Why? Because all problems start and end with us.
