When I’m not sure what to do, I do this
Sep 01, 2022In the past few years, I’ve levelled up my personal and professional development investment in myself. By working with my coaches, my mastermind teammates, taking courses, watching less tv and reading more books, I’ve gotten more clarity about the alignment of my purpose and passion and what I’m here to do. I also got clear about what I don’t want to do.
I determined that an important step moving forward in my journey is to share the knowledge and experience I’ve been gifted with during my decades of doing land use planning and cumulative effects assessments. I realized that if I only use these gifts for myself on projects I work on, then they will have a relatively small impact in the grand scheme of things. But if I can share them with many others who can use them, the cumulative effect of that could be huge.
I set out with a deliberate intent to share widely. First we live-streamed the 3rd annual CFX Conference with an International line-up of speakers. Then in the fall and winter I dove into the deep end of the pool live streaming 24 episodes of the “CFX The Connection Of Things “show on YouTube. Yes, live streaming is great, but live in-person is even better.
I can share these gifts with many others who can use them,
and the cumulative effect of that will be huge
In the spring as travel and gathering restrictions loosened up, I was gifted with opportunities to share cumulative effects lessons I’ve learned live on stage. I contributed my ideas in Dr. Jill Blakely’s Cumulative Effects session at the IAIA22 global impact assessment conference in Vancouver.
Keynote at the Atlantic Congress of First Nations Secretariat Cumulative Effects Conference
Later, working with Julia Purcell, I explored the very personal nature of cumulative effects and our responsibility to all our relations as the Keynote Speaker at the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Secretariat Cumulative Effects Conference in Dartmouth. Later I was invited to provide my vision for holistic cumulative effects at the Canadian Institute’s 10th Annual Cumulative Effects Conference in Calgary.
Then I found myself at the beginning of summer wondering, “now what, where do I go from here?”
When I’m not sure what to do, I go out on the land and listen.
Author Byron Katie shares a morning walk meditation I have found helpful for my mindset to do this kind of listening. She says, “just walk and not know, and let each object you see tell you what it is, rather than you telling it. Just listen, be still, and allow everything to name itself. Or not. Simply notice and be free in that, as though everything is yet to be named.”
So I stepped back from business as usual for the summer and took time to walk on the land and listen. I listened to the energy connection of the land and sky while hiking to paragliding launches. I listened to the inner voice of my raven spirit and it whispered “live on stage is great but live on the land is even better”. So I added on-the-land teaching to my holistic cumulative effects curriculum I was delivering through the Qwelmínte Secwepemc Guardian and Intern programs. And I was invited to listen and share during a week-long gathering on the land hosted by the Adams Lake Indian Band. And many of my subscribers shared knowledge and ideas with me through email – thank you so much!
Hiking up to a paragliding launch
And thank you for your patience with my quietness this summer. I have been listening, reflecting, and creative visioning. The land gave me answers, I know where we are going. Everything is Connected including you and me. I’m very excited about the next steps of our journey together.
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Barry
