Friends, if you’ve done all the challenges so far, I am truly proud of you! Congrats on making it all the way to week eight!
(If you’ve missed any, go to The Climate Optimist newsletter feed and find all the previous challenges there)
I think you will like challenge #8! This is where things start to get really exciting. Maybe the most important work we can do for nestling our way out of this climate chaos is finding the courage to dream of and believe in new worlds. This week, we’ll get to discover what that work looks like…
Did you know that every day, four million new blogs are written, eighty million new Instagram photos are uploaded, and 616 million new tweets are released into cyberspace (Tali Sharot, The Influential Mind.) That’s 7,130 tweets per second!
Truly, there is no lack of information (or opinions) in our world. But what is this information, when you think about it? It’s a mirror of our current reality, a direct reflection of what we know to be “true” right now.
If we’re so busy with always talking about what the world looks like now, how will we find time to envision a new one? And if we can’t envision a new one — if we can’t find it in us to believe that things could get better — how will we ever find the courage to choose change?
Throughout history, imagination has sparked all sorts of change, from airplanes and cell phones to refrigeration. This change was sparked by people who had the courage to dream of something new. People who were brave enough to think of realities that lingered outside their comfort zones; who dared to believe in the unbelievable and imagine the unimaginable, and who found the courage to go explore those new worlds.
When it comes to climate change, the only hope we truly have is to be found in that courage. We must expand our hearts and minds, begin to question everything, and dare to dream.
In comes this week’s challenge…
This Week’s Challenge
“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable”
A quote by Mary Oliver
Find a quiet time for yourself, about 20 - 30 minutes. Sit in a way that’s comfortable for you and close your eyes. If you prefer, put some calming music in your ears or on your speakers.
Ask yourself the question “What could my life look like 10 years from now if I kept some room in my heart for the unimaginable?”
Surrender to whatever comes. If you get frustrated because you don’t know the answer, that’s the whole point. You can’t imagine the unimaginable, so let it go. This is not about finding answers, but about seeking a feeling. What does it feel like to land in the understanding that you have no idea what the future looks like? That is what I want you to practice with this exercise.
If some images do come through, how exciting! Maybe your subconscious has more insight into your future than you do? When you let yourself expand your mind and dream without borders, the most incredible visions might appear…
If you feel like it, write down whatever came through, may it be a feeling or a vision. Reflect on how you think differently about yourself and your life now having visited this “unimaginable future”.
If you want guided help in imagining a new future, I’ve created this guided meditation to help you on the way!
You can switch out the destination for this exercise. Practice asking what your life will look like one year from now, five years from now, or fifty years into the future! Also, ask for visions about the world. What will the future look like if we only dare to dream and believe?
The first step in creating a different future is believing now that something better is possible, which is why it is so important that we allow ourselves to dream.
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