Busy Resistance
I keep busy. Work projects have demanded my full attention lately and that's okay. I know what I'm doing. The storm is self-made, a combination of avoiding what I can't control, and immersing myself in what I can. Responding to some innate impulse out of my control, I've only pursued work that I've found intrinsically motivating. The pursuit of material reward has never been part of my internal compass, as much as I wish it were sometimes. I'm driven by starting new initiatives that make the world better, and by making existing ones function better. Simple. Launching Foresight Collective, a new consulting practice, has been both exciting and an unexpected growth experience. Meanwhile, I've been in touch with colleagues being directly impacted by the great National Unraveling. Harboring a kind of survivor's guilt, I offer moral support. In social impact work it’s important to know what challenges you're positioned to engage and what you're not, as well as to stay centered and "strong" so you can show up for others when needed. Trying to put out too many fires often means you fail at addressing any of them. Achieving a sense of progress is fundamental to my daily well-being. Some of the worst days of my professional life were when I was temping and didn't accomplish anything except clock my eight hours. Stasis and boredom are my devils. I've been working long hours because I enjoy and am engaged in what I do, but I also know it's an avoidance, but not denial, strategy. In this case, I would argue, a healthy one.
