Kids teach us some clinchers

It's common for people to dream of knowing more about the environment, but how do we react to what we do know? You may be startled to discover more and more kids regularly consult world maps and climate details on Google Earth. Geography is now a more popular school subject than history. Why do you think so? Where adults traditionally felt a need to teach children tools and principles for them to survive, youngsters are suddenly turning around to offer their wisdom and ideas to adults.

Younger generations feel increasingly inter-connected to the fate of our terrestrial environments and to individuals they've never met. Proactive young people set an example to remind us that no matter how much information we have about our environment, we may never feel its enough. Yet, everyone can still become an environmentalist with a cause based on what they know now.

Young people demonstrate that caring for our future begins as a mindset in each of us. As you nuture that attitude, and convince yourself you have the power to make a difference, you will seek like-minded people somwhere on the globe, and inspire meaningful, innovative projects that preserve and restore environments.

1) Circumstances do not have to hinder your abilities. Wherever you are, you can learn and raise awareness about what others can do to reverse global warming and help mitigate disasters. During the 2004 tsunami which devastated southeast Asia, children from varied backgrounds, as young as 10 were the true heros. They knew tsunami early warning signs, and acted quickly to warn people on beaches. The humble efforts of children saved lives even if the actions didn't necessarily result in prime media coverage or new policy. What do kids teach us about our priorities?

2) Adolescence doesn't have to hold you back from assisting the planet. As the result of efforts of teen Dutch school kids who challenged themselves, they and the Dutch public have devised ideas to surpass European Union minimum Kyoto Protocol goals of 8% reduction in energy use. These teens boldly challenged bureaucrats to reduce their consumption and energy use with high success. Vehicles at the Ducth environment ministry will also only run on natural gas by spring 2007. Teens also create their own non-governmental organisations (NGOs) linked to U.N. agencies like UNEP to undertake their own grass roots projects. What does this teach us about barriers we may construct between people and leaders? Are they not like us?

3) Limited means do not have to disconnect you from the planet .  Students in diverse areas of the globe are communicating with other schools through Internet projects. School children in industrial countries initiate projects to assist with fundraising and building new structures for kids in schools they have never visited in the Middle East, Africa, South America and remote central Asia.  Kids in developing country schools also reach out through international organisations and pen pals. What does this teach us about our understanding of distance, limitations, human emotional connection and ingenuity? Do we not often limit our own potential?

4) Geography doesn't have to blind you from environmental reality. One visionary school in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia challenged its students to foresee and react to possible change. It designed a country campus to educate students who never thought their future would be closely tied to rural life. A key focus became a special building called Wadambawilam or "learning place." This functional example of sustainable living has had facilities to grow food and resources, while it has been designed for maximum insulation, using solar panels and windmills for power. What do futuristic projects like closed biodomes teach us about our current energy and consumer choices? Could imagining life-sustaining environments prompt us to build and live this mindset?

5) Seasonal school breaks don't have to be unproductive.  More and more kids desire to attend eco-summer camps. They connect with nature, return to school energized, and come to demand recycling programs. Young people are proactive in asking to integrate environmental realities into curriculums.  They vote for field trips to places like farms and factories to learn where plant and animal products come from. They inquire about visiting dumps and council compost projects. High school students initiate independent study that include sustainability projects in greenhouses, hydroponics, tree planting and wilderness restoration.  They speak out on how their schools and homes can reduce waste and consumption. What does this say about our awareness of our own lifestyles and lean toward alternatives?

Beyond what you know

People dream of exploring new places as a means to better understanding themselves. They often imagine grass is greener somewhere other than where they are. You may think comparing places you have experienced with places you don't know will clarify what you really do know.  Do you ever ask yourself radical questions about travel? What does it feel like to go somewhere?

You would benefit from embracing more of the unknown.  This action could involve courageously walking into a new neighborhood or finding your way in a foreign land.  Ultimately, the most life-changing travel is experienced as you venture deep within yourself.  You can do that where you are.  How? You have opportunities to acknowledge, explore emotions and face your deep fears.

Nothing you do will ever erase all the perceived mystery around you.  Thus, you will always have motivation to learn.  You have abilities to progressively explore questions that begin to uncover who you are and what you think.  How you understand yourself is accessible by honestly outlining the issues that bother you and determining the feelings you traditionally refuse to deal with.

1) Seek & you will find. Answers to your own questions are within reach.  You must simply look.  As you become aware of the details of your circumstances in a particular place, you learn to define your truth.  Learning to read, intuit and trust your senses enables you to engage deeply. You see and remain blind selectively. What do you choose to perceive and why?

2) Open your conscious awareness.  Part of your inner self will speak louder to you when you least expect it.  Call this Higher Forces or even a Divine Connection.  You only listen and become obedient to the voice when you are prepared to listen to your innermost soul.  Where do you wish to go? How do you think you will travel?  Are you attentive enough to read your dreams? These clues are avaiable to orient your journey.  Access them when you're good and ready.

3) Confront sources of your fear. Recognise you can trigger your own revelations about what holds you back in your life. Learning the underlying meaning of your fears will enable you to overcome them and no longer permit them to control you. You limit where you will travel in your mind. Consider telling yourself you will dream tonight without placing restrictions on yourself. See where you do go. Aim to remember and determine what this could represent in reality.  Redefein a sense of freedom within yourself. Perception and possibility are choices inside you.

Become a thirsty thinker

Why would access to clean water be a dream? Many people question the rationale of spending huge sums of money to search for water on the distant Moon or Mars when billions of people on the Earth currently have no access to water for drinking, sanitation and proper irrigation. What would humble us enough to become thirstier thinkers, people who use less water and think more about our water choices?

As it is, in 2007, more than a billion people do not access clean water to drink and ~2.6 billion in developing countries lack access to sanitation. Unclean water has become the second biggest killer of children. On an average, all over the world 5000 children die daily of diarrhea. “Deaths from diarrhea in 2004 were some six times greater than the average annual deaths in armed conflicts for the 1990s.&rdquo Annually, 443 million school days are lost only from water-related illness.

By 2025, its foreseen that ~2 billion people will live in areas with scarce water. In countries such as Australia, the global water crisis is already a reality in prolonged and unseasonal droughts. Shortages cause us to think differently. No matter where you live, how could you re-think how you use water in your local area?

1) Prioritize the conservation of nature. Watch Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." Listen to why hundreds of scientists agree. Contribute to nature preservation by raising awareness in your community and recruiting friends, neighbours and local council. Identify issues touching your life and needs; from gardening to septic tanks and sanitation. Brainstorm how to clean polluted water.

2) Conserve your water use. Choose to have shorter showers and maybe even shower with a partner or your child. Don't let the tap run when you brush your teeth. Flush toilets for "number 2s" and just close the seat top for "number 1s." Choose drought-resistent plants or plants which drink less water for gardens. Don't wash your car. Teach your children to conserve water and reward them for their efforts and creative ideas about how you can conserve. How else can you cut back?

3) Learn about the origin of your water supply and ecosystems that support it.  Regardless of where you live, you draw from a water system. Your city may provide water you pay for or, your family may have drilled a well. You may access an aquafer, dam or own a reservoir on property. It's useful to track seasonal water levels, compare it to your water use and state of ecosystems. Increasingly, people choose to install rainwater tanks to capture rain falls from your roof.  Consider other initiatives that may increase your water supply. What can you learn from nature?

4) Re-think when and where you use water. Recognize you condition yourself to believe you need a certain amount of water, but you can likely 'get by' with far less. Get together with friends and consider an alternative vision for your water use in cooking, cleaning, sanitation and irrigation (if you're involved in agriculture).

5) Re-connect to the people of the world. Note political talk of of freedom, human rights and human well-being fails to assist hundreds of millions of people in developing nations to increase access to clean water. You may not control money spent on war and conflict, but you can reduce water consumption and realize your choices affect others. Recognize water is a shared resource. Contribute to balance.

Rebel with just cause

Taking a risk to be yourself and not conform may be a challenge. After all, society discourages it. Consider current job systems require individuals to study the same courses and take the same tests. Rewards include predictable employment, vacations and lifestyles. These are often sought after. Would this appeal to you?

When you attend social functions, one of the first questions asked often pertains to what you do for work. Some people feel more comfortable if they can pigeon-hole you into a category. Then, they think they may begin to understand and relate to you. For some of us, it would be a risk not to 'fit in.'  For others, conforming to discomfort would be too risky. If you don't care either way, it may be a toss up.

The mindsets and performance of people who excel in status quo systems reflect a certain kind of intelligence. Yet, did anyone ever tell you that more than one kind of intelligence exists? Think about emotional intelligence, intellectual intelligence, relationship intelligence, business acumen, to name a few. Just because you develop personal strengths in a specific area doesn't mean you know about them all.

Based on your behavior and attitude, people may describe you as "unique" or keep their distance because your choices make them feel uncomfortable. They may admire you for courage but fear stepping out of their comfort zone. You may be tempted to dress like everyone or make similar choices to people around you if you think this what is expected of you. This may also be true. However, what does the little voice inside of you say? Is this what you truly desire to do or be?

Rebels are often perceived as troublemakers who break existing rules or resist authority. Yet, expressing your own thoughts, paving your own road, and becoming a pioneer in your chosen field, doesn't have to be understood as an act of defiance. The world would be far less interesting if everyone all thought the same, acted, and spoke the same. Each of us has innate talents and personal visions yet, we don't all listen to ourselves, recognize our dreams or seek to be ourselves.

When was the last time you took the risk to listen to your conscience or intuition? If you did take the time, what kinds of feelings would you encounter? Hopes and fears are key to our dreams.  Why not take a risk to begin to decipher what you've known forever, but had chosen to forget? It's never too late to discover new parts of you.

Stop getting more of the same

So, you've taken the plunge.  You've decided to start a small business.  Congratulations! Whether you did it because you desire to be your own boss, to schedule your own hours, to provide a service where you intuit a need, or for other reasons, you'll be more in control of your work life than ever. A new source of energy and inspiration is very exciting! Wow!

Now, we all have the power to be the primary driver behind what we do, yet, not everyone takes advantage of this position to better themselves.  Why not you? If you truly wish to stop getting more of the same reactions about work from yourself or other people who disagree with your attitude or choices, then you'd benefit from a willingness to clarify where you are and why.

1) Commit yourself to your new venture.  Even where you are starting a business beside a regular job, you will not succeed with a lack of effort.  Deciding you will make it happen means you will consistently devote a certain amount of time every day to developing this venture, through networking, phone calls, bookkeeping, website building, marketing or whatever. When the option becomes financially viable, you may leave the other job and focus on business development.

2)  Ask those questions you have been afraid to ask. It is forseeable that you'll encounter situations or information you do not completely understand.  This is a sign its time to consult a professional.  Remind yourself lawyers, accountants and outsourcing other experts could be in your interest.

3) Encourage yourself.  Motivational books, business seminars and conventions are ways you can develop yourself at the same time as share valuable lessons learned.  You will find that remaining open to new kinds of information will not only promote your personal growth, but will also nuture your continuing interest and enthusiasm.  Remind yourself being happy and knowledgeable will build client leads and trust.

4) Prepare for uncharted territory. Finding the courage to step out of your comfort zone is admirable, and it often brings its share of obstacles which require problem-solving.  That you feel ready to face uncertainty is a big step to devising the strategies you will need to move ahead.  Prepare yourself mentally for challenges, and they will be less likely to scare you.

5) Decide to seek and change yourself. Business success doesn't necessarily evolve if you begin with a plan to change the world.  However, if you accept you're on a new road of self-discovery, and you take steps to learn,  you'll find your efforts will make a positive difference.  Understand every choice and action enables you to get-to know yourself better.  Everything you think, say and do reveals a bit more about yourself.  The better you know your strengths and weaknesses, the more your business can benefit.

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” - Meister Eckhart