Cross the threshold of discomfort

In order to be a revolutionary we really need to get comfortable with discomfort.

A couple of weeks ago we were looking at 'feeling the rage' as an important step to build the momentum of change. The energy that rage can harness can bring about personal and global revolutions.?Yet sometimes we find ourselves in a state of stupifying and possibly painful inertia.?In this murky soup, the heightened feelings of joy and rage are inaccessible even to our imaginations.?

Do you know the 'I'm drowning, not waving'?kind of feelings??You might be able to pinpoint the origin of this state of being to a moment of grief or trauma, or your despair may have snuck up on you like an unshakeable Death Eater.*

Let's flip it:?What if this was a time of liminality?

Liminality is a juicy concept in psychology, architecture, systems theory and physics. It is also used every day in storytelling as it is the time when our hero has to cross a threshold between different states of being.?

Liminality has stages to it but essentially there is always destruction, chaos and discomfort before we get to the other side of a new beginning.?

Liminality = The place of transformation.

Liminality harbours potential and dynamism that needs to be understood.

Do you know this feeling of not knowing what is on the other side as everything you knew for certain before has changed??A lot like that feeling you get after a big breakup or after you suddenly leave a job without anywhere to go next.??Remember when we were all first plunged into lockdowns??The world had turned upside down for us. Many of us didn't know what our future held.?Liminal space is essentially a time and space of transition.

A classic example of liminality is the time labelled 'transition' in human birth.?For those who have no idea of what I am talking about it is the time between the mum having a?fully dilated cervix and the baby actually being delivered.?Uncomfortable and as shouty hell-of-a-time that no soothing words can be?entertained by the birthing mother.?Many women scream at this point "HELL NO!! GET ME OUT OF HERE I CAN NOT DO THIS!".?Midwives wisely know that the baby is just about to come now.?

The Great Transition?

I feel this is a critical time of liminality in the world this week, this month and this decade. There is much to say about this time of?The Great Metamorphosis, The Great Reconnection, The Great Regeneration, The Great Resignation.??Yes, there are so many 'great' changes we are going through. Yes, we should expect discomfort and most times there is actual destruction and chaos and yet if we know how to harness the potential energy in the muck we can shift ourselves as individuals into a whole new beingness.

It is a great time for reinvention of our communities, our businesses and our whole selves if we have the tools and the imagination.

What if my imagination has already left the building?

Do not despair if you feel you do not have access to the tools or perhaps your imagination is struggling to step into some radically different dreaming today.??

Just like the caterpillar who turns to mushy soup inside her cocoon, you contain the seeds of your own butterfly it is just that they may appear hard to reach right now.?Getting in touch with your feelings is a hell of a motivator or kick start though. Let me put it another way:?

You may not be able to tell me what you want but I guarantee you can give me lists of what you don't want.

The power for your own transformation can be found in spending time in a deep dive into the things you viscerally dislike/hate/despair of.?I call it the list of the things you are ready to break up with. Or the FCK OFF list.?Knowing when you have had enough is the first step towards a brighter future.?There is power in knowing what you don't want.

This is particularly useful for those who are creating new businesses in these uncertain times.?We find that Founders really have to cycle through rapid transformations at the best of times in order to create the mental space to allow the important thinking to grow.??

For those of us who are about community building or Founders of new business ideas the liminal space we now find ourselves in is potent for a whole of societal regeneration.?This is great for communities on the edge as much as for bold creative Founders.?Change always happens much more swiftly at the edges and liminality is an edgy change place to find oneself so never despair if you feel like you aren't in the centre of things.?You are potentially the most powerful person in the village right now.??

This week I am articulating the importance of sitting mindfully in this time of liminality, for business, community & the planet.?I am going to be walking my talk, logging off and sitting silently for the next 10 days whilst I no doubt will be breathing through my own swag of discomforts.?I will be looking primarily for some equanimity and a quieting of my own inner storms so that I can come back into my businesses with renewed clarity and wisdom to get on with my part in The Great Regeneration.

Flipping despair to renewed joy

When I come back I am going to share a cool technique to flip the F-Off list into your new dreaming.?Right now your only job is to start to pay attention to the discomfort without shame or judgement.?Remember your butterfly seeds can be found here in the soup.

A gift from me

If you can get your list to your top 3 things to break up with and send them to me in an email I promise to reply with a supercharged twist for you.?

In the meantime, this is George, our newest baby joy at the farm.?

He may fly with those ears soon but for now, his favourite pastime is to run up my roof whilst I am trying to write.?

Perhaps he needs his own YouTube channel?

Everyone needs a George in their life.?Who is your George?

Thank you again for kindly reading?expand?which I write weekly with the intention of stirring the pot, expanding our conversations about what is possible and creating new points of view, for people craving change in their worlds.??

I commit to balancing provocation with inspiring things to do, see and listen to because if we are going to increase our tolerance of joy we need to be always taking in the beautiful things.?

Please enjoy this week's video from the wonderful Australian filmmaker Damon Gameau.?It is a 17 min doco you can now stream on your phones from Apple TV by clicking the link below.?I guarantee you will have renewed hope for our world after watching.

From my heart to yours.

Kaama

little effects can have big impacts

*?An important reminder: I am not a psychologist or psychotherapist and so if you are experiencing sustained depression or any other symptoms of mental health imbalance please do seek help from a qualified professional because you deserve to feel well.??