Unveiling the light within: A regenerative new year perspective

As the year begins, my inbox fills with New Year wishes from colleagues working on regenerative transformation within their organizations. Yet, this year, there’s a noticeable undercurrent of fatigue and apprehension in many of their messages.

Some mention an uncertain market context that forces their companies to slow down the momentum of transformation. Others refer to a steady stream of discouraging news that has weighed heavily on their spirits.The enthusiasm one might expect for new beginnings seems, for many, dampened by the weight of current realities.

Amidst this, I choose a different focus. Like the hummingbird in the story of the forest fire, I concentrate on the actions within my reach, however small they may seem.

Albert Camus offers a profound guide in his Noces:

"In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. [...] There is splendor in the world, a warmth, a light, which we do not always see. And yet, every day, it is there, offered to our steps. We live so fast, so violently, that we miss this slow labor of love that forms our joy. Taking care of life means slowing down, stopping, looking around, and welcoming what is."

Each of us carries a light within, waiting to shine more brightly. Working toward a regenerative future begins by nurturing that inner light. Before we can illuminate the world around us, we must first nurture this inner flame, allowing it to guide our thoughts and actions.

To accelerate, we must slow down

This might sound paradoxical, but it’s true. In Newtonian physics, acceleration is linear, a steady push forward. But in quantum physics, shifts happen in leaps, without transition. These quantum leaps represent paradigm shifts: we still see the world, but no longer through the same lens.

To make this leap, we must decelerate. Otherwise, we remain trapped in the hamster wheel, running faster and faster in service to the same system that owns the wheel. When we slow down, we begin to see the wheel for what it is: something we created ourselves. And in this realization, we rediscover that our true guide is not external pressure but the light within us.

Regeneration starts with self-transformation

Regenerative work, at its core, requires us to transform ourselves first. It’s about slowing down to align with our essence, recognizing the beauty and abundance that surrounds us, and tapping into that invincible summer within.

This is the greatest gift we can offer the world: a self attuned to its inner light, capable of guiding not just personal actions but also collective transformation. By fostering this internal shift, we move beyond simply doing more, faster. We step into a new paradigm, one where regeneration begins with the self and radiates outward to spark change on a global scale.

So this year, let us pause, reflect, and embrace the light within. In nurturing that light, we find the strength to illuminate the path ahead.