THE DAWN OF A NEW DECADE

On straddling, code-switching, and a place to call HOME.

by Michele Davenport

W hile the turn of the year was a few months ago, it still feels like the end of the decade offered us all an opportunity to end some other things as well and the onset of the global pandemic and the murder of George Floyd make this review even more strident. Towards the end of the 2019 there was a seismic shift in how we are all relating to one another and sometimes it wasn’t all good. It’s my hope we will soon see a shift back to more civility, peace, harmonious living and co-creation, basically that we are nicer, kinder, gentler to one another and to ourselves. As a baby-boomer fully ensconced in middle age, I lived through nearly half of the 20th century and entered the 21st with optimism and hope. In fact, when we hit 2000 there was so much wonder about Y2K — what would all the “systems” and computers do given they were programmed through 1999? It came and went, nearly without a glitch. The dawn of the first decade of this century (2001-2010) met us with a technological boom that was wild – who would think you could do nearly everything on the computer? Alas, 2011 – 2020 turned into everything being possible on your handheld device so interactions and live touches seemed to shrink even more. Somewhere in the midst of this, CULTURS grew into not only a marketplace for goods and a lifestyle vehicle, but a movement, a community of people for whom it was a pivot towards more reflection, affirmation and sometimes validation.

Being authentic and pointing towards the best version of ourselves no longer requires qualification, apology or holding our breath.

For those of us who straddle or code-switch, CULTURS has become a destination for feeling at home, feeling seen and being heard. Fitting in is no longer the desired outcome, but being authentic and pointing towards the best version of ourselves no longer requires qualification or an apology. CULTURS has opened the door for more discussion, expression, collaboration and inspiration than likely any other single source. Read more if you’re interested in moving through this new decade with all the best parts of yourself and with intention on how to make it happen.

CREATING YOUR FRAMEWORK FOR SUCCESS BEYOND COVID-19 AND BEYOND

Why live with the uncertainties similar to the turn of the century when we can instead benefit from all we know of today’s technological advance? Especially during extensive shelter-inplace when nearly everything was converted to virtual, we can now convert all of this to creating a framework that will serve us for years to come.

Here are Five Steps to help you Discover and Uncover the best parts of yourself as you turn towards a decade filled with greater connection, more compassion and getting more of what you want with your post-coronavirus life and career.

Your Health – Know Your Numbers

What will you do to be even more healthy this year? Imagine it’s December 1, 2020 and you look back on this unprecedented year of the global pandemic. What do you want to have experienced or done to have positively impacted your health? What numbers do you intend to have be different? One of the most important things you can do for yourself is know your numbers so you can be deliberate about your health and well-being. We want you to experience radical self care, so find out what your health numbers are — blood pressure, hemoglobin A1C, cholesterol, then decide where to focus your attention.

Your Lessons from the Past

We are smarter, better prepared and better equipped for success in the future. Covid-19 gave most of us time to pause and look inward. If we take heed to grow and expand from our lessons learned, what’s possible? Ask yourself — what worked well last year and proved to be successful? What didn’t work well that I can improve? Take stock of your success and failures, write them on a whiteboard or on your phone and challenge yourself in any category where you’d like to experience a shift.

Your Vision for the Future

While sheltering-in-place I offered a virtual retreat and invited everyone to think about their post-coronavirus vision.

I recently hosted a retreat where one of the modules was creating a vision board. What would you have on your vision board? A destination to an island, home renovations, looking up old friends or relaxing more? Whatever your vision, make it visible, create your own vision board — or just imagine what’s there and move towards it.

Creating the Framework for Your Plan

Framework is another way of saying, what’s your process? One of the most important elements of any framework is to look at your plan holistically. It’s somewhat similar to reading an entire recipe before you begin putting it together. Ask yourself do all of the pieces fit in a way that is conducive to progress and success I envision for myself? If not, go back to step three and revisit.

Take Action

Now that you have the vision and framework for your plan, create the action to ensure all of the pieces fit together to make it your whole. Chip away at your plan so that you see success as you approach the end of the first year of this new decade. Then expand it to envision what you want from this decade — and remember to be compassionate, generous and kind — starting with yourself!