"Hope: It’s that we must cling to in those moments when we feel like we are drowning in despair!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
Emotional rollercoasters are the rides that we are sometimes forced to go on even though we dread the moment. Millions of people found themselves in that circumstance yesterday; millions of others found themselves on a different type of emotional roller coaster.
I certainly found myself on one for some time yesterday - and still do. But the fact is, with the encouragement of my wife, I moved through The Seven Stages of Election Grief pretty quickly, working hard to get to the 'Acceptance & Hope' stage pretty quickly. More on that below. There should be no doubt if you follow me as to my political leanings. I try not to let it make its way into my work. The foundation of these leanings is that we must have compassion in our souls; that there are no easy solutions, only hard work; and that it takes a significant investment to get to tomorrow.
Bottom line? I have long believed that the reality of reality in the face of unrealistic expectations will always have its way with those who think that a magic button exists that will whisk them into a better tomorrow.
What me back yesterday? First and foremost, the stern words of my wife, someone who knows how to talk down from an emotional cliff. What also brought me back to continue my Daily Inspiration was this note from a fellow on one of my social network feeds - I had announced that I was pausing my Daily Inspiration for an indefinite time because I believed my words rang hollow.
...seriously, we need uplift more, not less today. Your friends and loved ones and distant readers need you more today, not less. So let your words ring hollow, or tinny, or forced. If you can only whistle in the dark, whistle loud.
I also had this one:
Preach it brother!
"If you're going through Hell, keep going."
-- Winston Churchill
And another one:
Thank you and know that your daily inspirations are... inspiring!
There were more, and in the context of all of them, I realized I had a role to play. And in the context of that, here's an image I kept returning to over and over as I accelerated my way through the stages of grief.
"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change, In am changing the things I cannot accept!"
And with all, we all must move on.
Here's what I did to move through the day yesterday. I worked on the Website of the charity that my wife and I are fully involved in - Events.Life - figuring out how to do a 'hamburger' mobile menu. In other words, I was geeking out, but for a cause that matters. Check the Web site and look at who we support. Those of us who still have compassion in our souls must double down on our passion. Double down on kindness, significantly.
Then I kept my appointment with a trainer at the gym near my home - a YMCA of all things! I decided I must prioritize my health and sanity for the voyage ahead - and that it was time to escape my home gym that I've been working out in since the start of the pandemic, to broaden my routines and work harder on my physical well-being. Put in the work, forcefully.
And I had a long conversation with a long-time friend who suddenly found himself in the depths of unmanageable despair, and will meet with him today to talk about the steps one can walk to establish a foundation of clarity. Give back gracefully.
That got me through the day and so I am ready to move on. Because hope outweighs everything.
After the election in 2016, I woke up and found myself writing this. I'll share it with you today.
"10 Reasons Why I Still Believe In The Future"
November 6, 2016
This is a really hard post to write. As much of the world reels with the early stages of the seven stages of election grief, I think it's important to think about the realities of the future.
Here's a slide I used on stage one time, talking about the challenges people have with shock elections:
Lots of people are struggling today, and are in various places on the curve.
As a futurist, here's what I know. I expect I will be writing and speaking about these issues a lot more in the future. For now, let's leave it at this:
- Science still exponentiates
- Knowledge still accelerates
- The global idea machine still reverberates
- Big thinkers still think of how to solve big challenges
- Hyper-connectivity still provides for a reimagined future
- Inventors still invent
- Dreamers still dream
- Innovators still innovate
- Doers still do
- Teachers still teach
- Change agents can still effect positive change
- Optimism can always overcome pessimism
- No barrier to the future is insurmountable with the right determination
- At the end of the day, the majority of people are still decent
I started working on a list of 10 things.
I got to 14.
Let's take that as a good sign.
Forward.
Not back.
Futurist Jim Carroll has been writing this Daily Inspiration post non-stop since early August 2016, not missing one single workday. He intends to continue writing them, come what may.