Shortly after Xmas I stopped using social media and reading the news. After a period of time I found my perspective had changed. I no longer thought about events in far away places or the fear sentiments of viruses, politics and economics.

My mind seemed to return to my body and its immediate surroundings. After a while it began to day dream about the past, processing memories. When a spare moment arose I allowed myself to be in that moment rather than reach for my phone. This meant relearning to exist in the present moment and allowing a feeling of boredom. But instead of the boredom growing into a sense of unease something else happened. After the boredom came calm, stillness and a greater sense of meaning.

My mind had found its way back to greater clarity. There was less information but more than enough. I feel more creative, as if my consciousness sits calmly on a blank canvas. Ideas are free to emerge again. Less is more.

It’s easy to feel like you are lost. The world we live in is made larger by our digital lifestyles. Our mobile devices tempt us to leave our present behind and to live somewhere else. Where are you really? Consuming content and maintaining incidental relationships? Return to yourself, return to the real.

You need space to be able to hear your own voice. Your subconscious voice needs the conscious mind to be quiet for a moment. Your conscious narrative needs emptiness to be heard. Your body needs peace to connect with your mind.

There are so many voices out there. There is plenty of content. But I think yours is the more important of all. Stop looking elsewhere and listen to yourself for a moment…what do you hear?

We need to ensure that our schools prepare our young people for a world that is fast paced. A world of incredible technology. Our exponential world is here and waiting for our future entrepreneurs to lead us to solve tomorrows problems.

These are questions that swim in the minds of parents around the world. We live in a challenging time and our children are rising to this challenge but they need to be set free. They need the kind of skills that will serve them well in whats to come. They will need the mindset to cope with change at a pace that we are not accustomed too. They will need to understand the world is not linear and the power of an exponential mindset.

I hope our children have the common sense to recognise when things are not working and too work together to make a change for the good of humanity. It seems that most of todays problems have answers. We have the expertise, the capital, the technology, the inspirational leaders. We have the ability to fix things. Yet our generation refuses to work together for our common interest. Our children need to know that there is abundance in this world and that they have the power and mindset to unlock this abundance.

We cling to imaginary boundaries called countries. Corporations control our governments. We obsess and hoard tokens of exchange. The old way is fundamentally broken and the effect is climate destruction, disease and war. We need diversity but we also need a change of mindset.

Children need positivity and hope. They need to face the world in all its beauty and ugliness. I hope they believe that any problem can be solved. There are incredible things happening everywhere. Things are getting better. Things are happening before our eyes and in our lifetimes. Our children need to wake every day with a sense of gratitude.

We are going further, making new discoveries, extending our lives, and saving our planet. These are the stories that inspire the next generation to reach for the stars. This is the fuel for a moonshot mindset.

We can teach them skills and develop their talent. We need to show them that despite their differences, they are the same. They are brothers and sisters of this earth and the way to a better future is through working together with a purpose driven mindset.

I am hopeful. I have faith in who they are. I have faith that they will be considerate and come to good decisions. I think they are watching us right now. They are watching what we are doing right and watching what we are doing wrong. They know there are big challenges to come. They are full of curiosity, hope, and wonder.

Perhaps our job is not to teach them to live the way we do. Or to force them to fit into our way of life at all, the old way. Perhaps it is us who need to learn the final lesson that there are better ways to get things done. Our children have nothing to lose and no time left to muck around.

They have the dreams, the energy, the skills, the technology. They do not know our old ways, our greed, and our tired ways of thinking. It’s no wonder our young people go from inspired to dissolution. We full them with hope then squeeze the creativity and wonder out of them. If they are lucky they will get a job with long hours, working towards a house they will never own. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Education and change is not only the playground of the young. We can be champions of change at any age agreed. So I ask you with the utmost respect for everything you have achieved so far, are you still keeping pace? Do you have the mindsets that are needed to lead in this crazy world? If not go get them…

If your not willing to change, your holding our children back and your holding humanity back. Playtime is over. There is a lot on the line now. Let’s get out of their way…its time to put down your tools and step aside. It’s time to let go, its time for a radical shift in mindset.

Reference: Inspired by Peter Diamandis and his work on mindsets

Get up, get the kids ready for School. Drop them off and go to work. Do your job, talk to your work mates, all in a familiar environment. Ok so not all jobs are like this. But you get my point right. Even jobs with reasonable levels of uncertainty provide structure.

What happens to you when all of this disappears suddenly? Initially its natural to be surprised, shocked, sad, disappointed and all of the things. We all have expectations about how are lives are supposed to be and we get used to how things are. We have adapted our minds and bodies to cope with our existing environments, structure and routines.

So when these change dramatically, our ability to adapt is called into question. We must find a way to address any thoughts and emotions arising from loss, in whatever form it has presented. We need to accept that life as we knew it before, has reached its conclusion. While that journey has reached its end, a new journey has begun and you are in the drivers seat.

It’s natural to have thoughts and feelings that place doubt on the new journey. After all you are in unknown territory and it is full with uncertainty. When this occurs reach out for the things that ground you. Spend time with good friends. Indulge your hobbies or passions if you can. Get curious about new things.

In times of great change, your mind is flexing its mental muscle. You have turned on”adapt” mode and its time for an upgrade. This is the moment you can get a Great Leap Forward. This is the moment to discover new passions, new people, new ways to spend your time. Your mind is more open to change and that means you are about to level up. In “letting go,” you get to move forward with what you need. You can choose to remove behaviours or patterns of thinking that no longer serve you.

Many of us will choose to re-establish routines as soon as possible and that is ok. This may mean taking on a new job that ties up your time for example. Some of us will reflect on life and attempt to design a future based on personal values or the pursuit of meaningful purpose. Either way you are going to be ok. Try and lower your expectations. The road to happiness requires less than you think.

Whatever you decide or need to do, know this… someone or something needs you and you are magnificent.