"SMART TALK"...Conversations That Matter.
We are always one choice or one decision away from our purpose on the planet. Even when we choose not to choose, we have ultimately decided to move toward our purpose or to maintain the course of the life we find painful and mundane, yet familiar.
Life is a duality, a mixture that in every moment gives us the choice to make strategic decisions about our lives, the work we do, the words we choose, the love we give, and the joy we receive.
In this world, there is no hero without a villain, no saint without a sinner, no darkness without light, and no courage without a challenge. When we understand these concepts of duality in our everyday lives, we can live our lives with strategic foresight and then make strategic decisions.
Since the DNC this past week, I have heard nothing but complaints about the fact that the Democrats had a sheriff on the stage for Kamala, as if only mean and hateful people can become those who help us maintain law and order in our nation.
But what's revealing about our humanity is the fact that our dual nature leads us to point out the evil we perceive in someone, as opposed to the good.
But, as my dad used to say, you can't define something that you don't already know.
Strategic foresight is all about intention. It's all about deciding what kind of person you want to be, the person you want to become.
Several years ago, when my granddaughters were small, I took them to the park before a rainstorm hit our town. While we were outside, we saw a caterpillar struggling to shed its cocoon.
I explained to the girls that once it broke free, it would be a beautiful butterfly (the younger granddaughter could only say ugh!). It struck me at that moment that we are all struggling to be the better versions of ourselves, and that some of us break free and become beautiful butterflies.
The caterpillar had the strategic foresight to know what it could become. That's the duality of its nature, caterpillar or butterfly, was its choice. I watched as it fought against all odds to hang on and become the better version of itself.
When we describe the worst we see in someone else, we are only describing the worst in ourselves. That's the universe's message to us in that moment that we can choose the better version of our nature.
I read a story recently about a traveler who had left his village in search of a new home. He came upon a Sufi master and said, "I'm looking for a new village to move to. How are the people in this village?"
The Sufi master replied, "How were the people in the village you just left?"
The traveler replied, "They were mean and hateful and all they did was denigrate others."
The Sufi master replied, "That's exactly how the people in this village are."
The traveler went away discouraged.
Soon another traveler came by and asked the Sufi master the same question. "I'm looking for a new village to live in and wanted to know how the people in this village are?"
The Sufi had the same response, "How were the people in the village you left?"
The traveler replied, "They were great, loving, kind, honest people."
The Sufi replied, "Those are exactly the people who live in this village."
You see we see and create the world that we know. So, when we relish and can only see chaos, that is the world we create and the world we will see.
Today, we can have strategic foresight to make strategic decisions to change ourselves, thereby changing the world around us. We can become the traveler who sees goodness in the world, or we can see the world as a bad place.
And for those who will tell me, "I choose to be real," remember we create our reality, so make strategic decisions to create the reality you truly want.
Today have strategic foresight to make strategic decisions and "Do Something!"
The WEBB Advisory Group Presents
The WEBB Center for Social Impact was created and shaped by over 50 years of lived experience as a Black woman in America.
Focusing on domestic policy specifically, our institute provides a global worldview perspective for black and brown women from the diaspora living in America today.
Using research data, lived experiences, and stories of impact, policymakers and leaders can understand the social impacts various policies have on black and brown children and women, today and tomorrow.
In response to various incidents in our country's recent history, history mustn't repeat itself. Therefore, the WEBB Center For Social Impact strives to provide voter information, information on issues for policymakers, information for community activists, and information for anyone who seeks to understand the social impacts of public policy on individuals and communities.
Attention Bias
What is attention bias? Attention bias is our tendency to prioritize certain types of stimuli/information over others. At any given moment, an individual's senses can perceive countless stimuli in our immediate surroundings. Threat-related attention bias refers to the tendency to prioritize the processing of threats over benign or neutral stimuli. Is it no wonder we have biases related to race, ethnicity, disability, and more?
Each of us individually generates more information than ever before in human history. We take in almost 90,000 pieces of information daily, yet our brains can only filter in about 10 percent of that information. The rest, well is stored in our subconscious minds and often when we perceive a threat we act upon it.
How do you perceive the world around you and how can you understand your attention bias?
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Prayer for the Week
Dear God,
Please help us to understand that the way we see one another is the way we see ourselves. Help us to understand that the way to change the world is to change ourselves. Love begins and ends with each of us individually. Help us to forgive each other and the world for hurting others and ourselves. Help us to find the path from hate to love in each moment. Amen
"Inspiring Humans...Changing Communities."
"Smart Talk: Conversations That Matter... is a weekly blog post. We welcome the voices of all people. Are you interested in writing for us? Let us know.
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