We are in extraordinary times. So many of us are struggling right now, and if we are being honest, we can recognize that we have been heading toward the current crisis for a long time.
For those of us whose work is mission-driven, who are knowledge workers, culture workers, change makers, this may feel like a point of no return. How can we ever rebuild? How can we make things right? What’s next?
We can’t really put Humpty Dumpty together again. We have to rebuild in new ways — smarter, more equitable, more sustainable ways. To do this, we will need to listen to each other and work together. We will need to adapt. And we will need new ideas — we will need creativity.
What about starting here, with this notion:
- You already have what you need. Look at what you have now, in all its broken-ness, its less-than-it-was-ness, and ask, “What can I do with what I have?“
Here are some other questions to prompt creativity in times of transition and crisis:
- What does the brokenness reveal? Were there parts of your former situation that were clutter, damaged, or even part of the problem? Does brokenness point to flaws that escaped notice before?
- What are the gifts of loss? Has loss opened up any new opportunities? Has the new situation, painful as it is, perhaps also freed things up in some way?
- Who can you connect with now that you didn’t know before? How has loss helped you build new relationships with colleagues, friends, and neighbors? Can you connect with new and unexpected allies?
“The forest has one rule:
Start over making use of what remains.“
– Alison Hawthorne Deming
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