The Proximity Process
This is a show about how child welfare transformation actually starts with personal transformation. Follow Matt Anderson, a former child welfare executive with 20 years of experience, as he goes deeper into his own process of becoming who he needs to be. Matt has conversations with creative disruptors who help us see how systems can harm and oppress people. Each episode is an invitation to go deeper into your own process of being in service of people rather than systems.
The Proximity Process
Journal Entry: Our Future is a Declaration Away
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This week's episode was prompted by a quote I read in the book, Buddhism Without Beliefs, by Stephen Batchelor. The chapter on imagination began with this quote, "A talent for speaking differently, rather than arguing well, is the chief instrument of cultural change." In other words, we create change by first seeing a different future in our mind's eye and then speaking that vision out loud. This is very different from arguing about what is or has been, it's about declaring what can and will be in the future. I talk about how this approach of speaking differently applies to our ongoing conversation about Termination of Parental Rights, and how it can apply to anything that we may be working on. I lay out five steps that I've seen work for me and others that moves us from imagining and describing the future, to taking action, and then learning and iterating. I also reference a great resource, which is linked below, that can help us develop the skills of generative communication and declarations. I end the episode with a few journal prompts.
Journal Prompts
- What do I want to declare?
- Who am I without the work?
- Who am I?
Generative Communication e-book: Generative-Language-2021
You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We now have two options to make this community accessible to more people. We meet every Monday at 9am ET and starting on July 26th we'll add a 9am PT/12pm ET group. You can join the club by filling out this contact form. Proximity Podcast Club - West - Google Forms
Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn