what is a smart activist?
Why become a smart activist?
“Inner work for outward action”…. with all of today’s complex issues needing urgent attention, why is it smart to focus on ourselves? What goes on inside us - our thoughts and feelings; biases and assumptions - influences the way we make choices, the way we interact with other people, and how we approach these issues.
In working to change the system, we deal with many challenging situations. If we we’re unaware of how internal dynamics affect us, it undermines our capacity for handling such situations in constructive ways.
And, when we ignore our own needs for too long, it tends to catch up with us. We may experience constant tiredness, lack of motivation, wanting to leave the sector, difficulties in relationships (work and personal), being overly cynical - and just feeling we are not ourselves anymore.
But underneath all of that, our purpose and desire to change things are still there.
The Smart Activist’ mission is to support you in becoming effective, and letting go of what is not effective, so you can follow your purpose with clarity and confidence.
It’s about being willing to have an honest conversation with yourself - how do you see things, really?What is a smart activist?
Smart activism is for anyone working to change the system, in any sector and at any level. You shift from an (often subconscious) attitude of: ‘others have to change, and I need to fix it all before I can rest’, —> to: ‘I am part of the whole that needs to change, and I can be fulfilled in an imperfect world’.
direction
You know your impact sweet spot and focus your energy there - in what you do and how you do it.
You have a clear picture of what the desired future looks like.
You make impactful decisions using your own wisdom, and releasing old beliefs and habits.
You engage in profound listening with others, even if they have different views.
You allow yourself to rest and re-energise without feeling guilty.
connection
You are connected to an inner compass - staying true to your own purpose and values.
You allow all feelings, including powerlessness, because you know that actually helps you to stay balanced in facing worrying global trends and the suffering of others.
You’re able to turn away from frustration and towards compassion in challenging situations, including difficult collaborations.
You are free from the need to fix everything, instead finding fulfillment in changing what you can.
’….The more we work out of alignment with essential parts of ourselves, we might feel we are doing a lot – but how effective are these actions? And what is depleting on the other end to keep up the race towards a better world?’
Audre Lorde (1934-1992), Poet, writer, feminist and civil rights activist