Purpose Inspired #72

#FRIEND        

#PURPOSE        

We are all searching for meaning in life: an answer to the eternal ‘why?’ The good news is that we can and do create our own meaning. How? There are many paths to purpose, according to existential psychologists. But the main gist was spotted by Abraham Maslow, well-known for his hierarchy of needs. He discovered a paradox, namely that self-actualisation requires self-transcendence. In other words, making our lives personally meaningful requires that we pursue something beyond ourselves. Something bigger. Something that makes a positive difference in other people’s lives. It could be at work, in the community or elsewhere.

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#INSPIRATION        

"Let us not seek inspiration outside ourselves, but turn to look within"

Quotes on social responsibility, sustainable business and transformational change

#VALUE        

Value Creation is the primary aim of any organisation and is inherent to sustainable development. ABIS (The Academy of Business in Society) and Antwerp Management School organised the Value Creation Roundtable to exchange knowledge on sustainable transformation and positive impact. A number of leading academics and organisations participated in the event, including Stuart L. Hart, Mark Kramer, Jed Emerson, EY, PwC, Blended Value Group, Impact Institute and others. Their commitment to sustainability is translating into changes to their value creation models. We elaborate further on the concepts of value defined in this paper: stakeholder value; blended value; sustainable value; shared value; and integrated value.

Read the article

#INCLUSION        

In this episode, Francoise Chombar talks about: How technology can be a force for positive impact, but only if it is inclusive – and how inclusion is a driver for innovation; Why diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) needs to become a societal and organisational habit to be effective; What being a Steminist – a STEM feminist – means and why it is a crucial solution to economic and societal inequality; Why diversity is not only about diversity of gender or ethnicity or other profiles, but also about diversity of perspectives; and How having the diverse role models, especially during education, is a key to increasing diverse participation in STEM careers.

Listen to the episode | Browse the Thriving podcast

#NEVER        

It’s never too dark to light with a spark / The blackness of night as colours flash bright / To flame in the gloom and leave a good mark / There’s always a gleam of hope left in sight / It’s never too dark, not ever too dark

It’s never too bold to break from the mould / Of habits and rules, of nations and schools / To rewrite the plot of tales we’ve been told / There’s always a magus dressed as a fool / It’s never too bold , not ever too bold

It’s never too soon to shoot for the moon / With visions and schemes, with rockets and dreams / To wish on a star, go bust and then boom / There’s always a chance to catch the sunbeams / It’s never too soon, not ever too soon

It’s never too high to reach for the sky / With ladders to climb, one step at a time / To strive without rest, to fail and retry / There’s always a rhythm, always a rhyme / It’s never too high, not ever to high

It’s never too late to regenerate / Our land and our seas, the fish and the trees / To rewild the earth and change the world’s fate / There’s always new life buzz-buzzing like bees / It’s never too late, not ever too late

More poetry

#DOUBT        

What is the place of doubt in your life? Many see doubt as a disease, an unfortunate affliction that is best avoided; or if infection has already set in, a condition to be cured. But doubt is a prerequisite for good health. Like the friendly bacteria in yoghurt, doubt helps us to fight off life’s more serious threats.

More inspiration

#MARKETS        

The explosive growth of this global casino of financial markets is largely as a result of introducing two new games: futures and derivatives trading, beginning in the 1970. Not so long ago, the grave warning of economist John Maynard Keynes echoed loud and clear above the chaotic din of frantic stock market traders: “When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely be ill-done”. Modern critic, David Korten who is author of When Corporations Rule the World, calls this phenomenon “de-linking money from value”. We look at the worrying side effects of speculative trading and deregulated financial markets.

Listen to the episode | Browse the Purpose Inspired podcast

#EMERGENT        

It is true that we see order and structure everywhere in nature, but it is more emergent than deterministic. This means that nature allows for creativity and change. It does not prescribe every outcome but rather creates the conditions for innovation. A failure to understand the emergent nature of life is one of the reasons why the centrally planned economies of communism failed and why many top-down hierarchical companies fail. Newton’s image of a clockwork universe needs to be reimagined as an organic cosmos, since complexity theory shows that the patterns of life are not rigidly determined nor hierarchically controlled. Rather, simple rules applied to complex, apparently chaotic systems allow order to emerge. The interactions themselves co-create the patterns.

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#INSPIRED        

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Copyright 2022 Wayne Visser