Days of Covid-19: Community Compassion Daily Posts

On March 17, 2020, shortly after shelter-in-place was mandated in San Francisco, I wanted to post, on the Power of And facebook page, a daily message about community compassion, self compassion, and something that spoke to the ways people were trying to use their humanity for good. On Day 16, we were told that shelter-in-place would extend at least 5 more weeks. With that news, I wanted to highlight our need for self-compassion and love. Here is that post:

Day 16 #CommunityCompassion...the news has been difficult on many levels and the bright spots, while bright, are sometimes hard to see in all the darkness. While being of service to others, try to be of service to yourself and practice some self-compassion and self-love...a favorite poem:

Self Love by Lang Leav

Once when I was running,
from all that haunted me;
to the dark I was succumbing -
to what hurt unbearably.

Searching for the one thing,
that would set my sad soul free.

In time I stumbled upon it,
an inner calm and peace;
and now I am beginning -
and all I've yet to be.

#communitycompassion #selflove Lang Leav

Winter Solstice Thoughts

Winter Solstice and its message of reflection and renewal ended today. I posted each day for the 4 days…what follows is the collection of the 4 brief essays:

WINTER SOLSTICE: Day One

According to Forever Conscious, “The winter solstice celebrates the longest hours of darkness or the rebirth of the sun and is believed to hold powerful energy for regeneration, renewal, and self-reflection. In Pagan times the winter solstice was referred to as Yule and was a celebration of the Goddess (Moon) energy. It was believed that on this day, the moon would give birth to the sun.”

The winter solstice is a time of quiet energy, where you get the opportunity to look within yourself and focus on what you want and need. It’s a time to set goals and intentions for the coming year, to examine and let go of our past, and to make changes within ourselves. The solstice is essentially tied to personal awakening.

Thus the journey continues with this as the next step…and my moment of self-reflection tonight? My vulnerability is more than others realize, my resiliency is more than I realize…

WINTER SOLSTICE: Day Two

Reflection…the many layers of each of our lives and how they are constantly changing…as the saying, “you can’t be in the same river twice (for the water is constantly moving)”…what layers do we reveal to ourselves and what layers do we reveal to others…willingly or not? Are we daring to peel back the layers as they get more sensitive, more vulnerable, more scarily unknown? Do we put the outer layers back on for safety, for defense, for blissful ignorance?

And…are you open to asking, “what layers serve me well — even if the service is not of a positive nature, how am I being served? And does this layer makes sense to keep or is it time for gratitude followed by removal to the past lives/experience compost bin?

How does renewal come without shedding the layers that prevent the new skin from breathing air…what am I willing to leave behind in order to move forward?

WINTER SOLSTICE: Day Three

Looking forward — what do I see? Clarity? Vagueness? Are the images defined, a blur, or something in-between?

Looking forward — what do I feel? Fear? Excitement? Angst?

Can I follow my mantra of coming to the conversation curious? Can fear of the unknown be replaced by a wonderment for the unknown? YES. A resounding YES.

“Rejections will redirect you to more exciting roads. When you think your life is falling apart, it’s usually falling together in disguise. Your search will throw you on journeys you never would have dreamt of, in your mind and in the world.” -Charlotte Ericksson

WINTER SOLSTICE: Last Day

As the winter solstice ends, we are encouraged to seek renewal, experience birth/rebirth, move on with our thoughts, our revelations, our desires. What wisdom have you found in that deep vessel that is your inner being? What more are you wanting to explore? The barriers to your dreams, intentions, and goals are the ones you allow to enter your core.

Buddha says, “Three things cannot be hidden for long, the sun, the moon, and the truth.” What is your truth? How do you want to show up in the world?

“rise

said the moon

and the new day came” ― Rupi Kaur

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Photos Credit: Emily Scott

The Relevancy of being a Passionholic

In June of 2013, I did a TEDx talk about the combination of principles and passion in one’s philanthropy. It was titled “The Evolution of a Passionholic.” The word “workaholic” didn’t seem to be the best description of someone who is fully engaged, so I coined the word “passionholic.”

Is being a passionholic still relevant? Does passion drive tenacity, patience, determination, persistence, and pursuit of one’s goals?  

When asked, business leaders such as Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, and Pat Mitchell have answered, to paraphrase, “Absolutely yes.”  Politicians and global leaders have had a similar response.  In the world of nonprofits, having passion for the cause is especially vital.  The opportunity to match head and heart, to use your skill set for a cause in which you believe, and to be part of a team whose culture shares that mission speaks to the need of having passion for what you do. I have yet to meet anyone in the nonprofit world who works in that sector for the paycheck.

For most nonprofit leaders, the idea of doing something else is unimaginable.  Passion for the cause is so deep that it seems to be in their DNA. Geoffrey Canada, the tireless and passionate leader of The Harlem Children’s Zonereferred to his work as a “love affair.” Eve Ensler created a global movement to end violence against women and girls, V-Day, after listening to hundreds of women who waited at the stage door after each performance of “The Vagina Monologues” to tell her their personal stories as survivors of sexual violence.  Many nonprofits began with the seeds of passion, purpose, and vision.  Without the manna of passion and purpose, it would be hard to maintain the resilience needed as the work is tireless, often heartbreaking, and results can be slow in coming.

What if the question is not how you spend your day but how you spend your philanthropic dollars?  Do you still need passion?  I would still answer “yes” and add, “if you want to feel aligned with your giving.” In interviews with philanthropists, many speak of passion as their strong feeling for an issue, sector, organization, and cause.  This motivation advances your interest andcompels you to contribute in a meaningful way.

I call it your personal Venn diagram for your philanthropic pursuits. 
 

The intersection of your passion, your values and principles, and your knowledge and learning is your sweet spot for meaningful engagement.

Take the opportunity to ask yourself the following: 

• What are my core values and principles?

• What areas (cause, sector, organization, issue) do I have passion for and how do they match with my core values and principles?

• How much time, treasure, and talent do I want to devote to my philanthropic interests?

• What knowledge/beliefs do I have internally and what data and information do I need to find to help me make an informed decision?

This exercise brings forth information that is uniquely yours.  And the beauty is that there is no right or wrong answer; the answer is your answer.  

Peter Karoff, founder of The Philanthropic Initiative writes, “The alignment of one’s passion to one’s giving is often elusive, but worth the search. “The reward is that your gift giving becomes the best possible articulation of your core values and belief systems and at the same time becomes a direct link to those issues within community and society that you deem to be of greatest significance. The payoff is in the immense personal satisfaction that comes when your generosity is grounded in what you feel is the most important.”