Do What Lights You Up
A Blog for Activists, by guest writer, Gwen Hanson
You are a precious activist. When you are happy and healthy, you are one of the stars that makes humanity shimmer. Buoyancy will be yours when your actions embody your deepest feelings.
But how do you find what you love? How can you tell when you’re spending your time well? How do you stay fresh and energized for long haul projects? Consider the 4 questions below:
Gwen, doing what lights her up: connecting and laughing with other activists.
How do you feel AFTER the activity?
During a residency in OBGYN, I worked as many as 120 hours per week. My mother joked that every time she got me on the phone, I was crying. Naturally, during my 48 hours of rest per week, I turned on the TV. But I quickly realized that upon turning it off, I was just as miserable - maybe worse - since 1-2 hours had been wasted. Thirty minutes playing piano had the opposite effect. I felt more like myself and ready to sleep and work.
Are you listening to your inner voice?
Steve Ballmer advised Microsoft employees to be open and respectful in their communication. I bet most of you are open and respectful with others….but what about with yourself?
After years of working with a group of family medicine doctors in Gainesville, Florida, I was waiting for my daughters to get out of elementary school when I heard myself tell another waiting parent, “I should quit my job!” This was the first time I’d fully realized my unhappiness in my position. Chatting with friends releases oxytocin, lowers your stress and improves your health. And maybe your friends will help you uncover subconscious needs.
Should you meditate?
In 1976, while at a conference in Singapore, climate justice activist Thich Nhat Hanh learned about thousands of Vietnamese in boats trying to escape violence. After he and his team started providing food, water, and nocturnal escapes, the Singapore government commanded that he leave the country within 24 hours. Where did he go to seek help? Deep within himself. Through meditation, he had the idea to appeal to the French Embassy. Hundreds of lives were saved. To learn more, read Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet.
Gwen, doing more of what she loves — biking and playing the violin
Are you adapting to rapid changes?
In Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari notes that agricultural progress was extremely slow for early humans. Breakthroughs like cultivating a new variety of olive took centuries or even millennia. Change occurs faster these days. In the process of trying to write a few sentences illustrating this, I accidentally fell into a vortex and didn’t escape until nearly midnight. Let’s just say there’s been a rise in obesity, Parkinson’s disease, pandemics, extreme heat, internet bots, forest fires, and bomb cyclones. And AI can write and/or critique any research paper in a second.
The good thing about the vertiginous pace of change? There are infinite ways to help.
When you choose the right actions for yourself, your enthusiasm and effectiveness will improve your health and happiness. It will inspire others and exhilarate you. And optimally, your activism will bond you with people you admire, including yourself. There doesn’t have to be a straight line between your actions and the safe, equitable, fair, and astonishingly beautiful planet we all crave. Courageously try different paths until you find one you can’t wait to follow each day.
