“There is hope in people, not in society, not in systems, but in you and me.” – J. Krishnamurti
It’s easy to throw our hands up when it seems like things are out of our control, or that something in society is not looking the way we want it to.
However, not only are we in both society and culture, but we are society and culture. Even through lack of participation, we are voting with our silence, or inaction.
Personal projects then, are projects that we do for ourselves, and are also cultural and societal projects. Because through personal projects, we can change how we see the world. And how we see the world – how we think, act and show up – directly influences everything around us.
Here are five personal projects we could do that can also create a shift in the culture.
- Start a walking group. Walking, swimming, stargazing… whatever. Grab some friends, organise a weekly walk, and introduce a topic of conversation. Leave the phones at home.
- Start writing. Share your thoughts, ideas and assertions with others. People may, or may not read it, but that’s secondary. The primary thing is you’re opening the door for conversation.
- Start exercising, training, or moving. Whatever you like to call it – taking responsibility for the physical health of your body has a knock on effect with others. Very much a personal project that impacts the culture.
- Start reading. Find some new authors, expand your horizons, ask someone from an older or younger generation for recommendations.
- Connect others over a shared interest. It’s the conversation and the act of organising that’s important. The exact interest or topic is secondary. It’s the conversation that brings ideas and exploration to a new level, and helps move us all forward.
The thing about personal projects, is they aren’t like a goal way out in the distance. You can implement these in the present moment, and see a change straight away.
If we get stuck trying to figure out how to create change in the culture, we can start by creating change in ourselves.
