Authenticity. What does that mean? It’s a word near and dear to me over the past several years as I’ve been more conscious of who I am and living my life as an outer expression of my inner self. For me, my heart speaks volumes and when I allow myself to speak from that place I experience the truth of my authenticity. Sure, it feels really vulnerable – it’s courageous to live a life of authenticity. And there’s a delicious richness to it that makes it worth the risk. “…when we let go of what we are supposed to be and embrace who we are.”(Brené Brown)

Brené Brown is a researcher, writer, and professor. She has spent the past ten years studying a concept that she calls Wholeheartedness, looking at: “How do we engage in our lives from a place of authenticity, spirit, and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to embrace our imperfections and to recognize that we are enough – that we are worthy of love, belonging and joy?”. Much of her work has been centred around what she refers to as “the universal experience” of shame and how it keeps us disconnected. I get it. Within each of us is some element of shame, that has us feel different, not good enough, and ultimately holds us separate and disconnected from others.

My daughter has a book about a hamster named Lola who is seeking the right moment to share her “special words”. Towards the end of the book she is about to burst, as she has held back many times because the timing wasn’t quite right. Finally she spills at the end of the book saying “I love you, I love you, I love you” to her mom and dad and nods off contentedly to sleep knowing the words are always there on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be shared. Sweet little hamster.

The words are always there, if we stop long enough to listen and to speak them. What words are on the tip of your tongue? Are you ready to burst?

Four Years. Go.

The name of a campaign for transformational change for our planet. It was launched in March and rather than use my own words to describe it, I’m going to share the description from the press release issued on March 19:

“A global educational and awareness campaign rolled out this week, with the bold vision of changing the course of history— to shift humanity onto a sustainable, just and fulfilling path by 2014: FOUR YEARS. GO….

…FOUR YEARS. GO. is not a new organization. It is a goal—a rallying call—for a growing worldwide coalition of organizations and individuals with deep commitments to producing a transformational shift for humanity. Already, more than 500 additional organizations have become part of the campaign, and that number grows daily.

The intent is to foster a self-organizing, emerging open-space of collaboration and creativity among individuals, NGOs, companies and communities, to ignite a movement. And, for that movement to catalyze a newly vibrant world of wildly diverse and inspired initiatives to co-create a transformed human future.

This will be achieved through millions of individuals and thousands of organizations around the world becoming partners in, and creators of, the FOUR YEARS. GO. campaign. Individuals will declare themselves as “change agents” for a new future. And they will begin a personal hero’s journey that will start by taking the simple steps right in front of them, via the FOUR YEARS. GO. website (www.fouryearsgo.org).

Organizations will be encouraged to explore and commit to the most exciting and impactful social/environmental improvement projects that they can imagine and fulfill within the next four years—trimtab projects that will, collectively, cause a positive tipping point in humanity’s trajectory…”

WOW. This is just one of many movements I’ve noticed lately that are inviting us as citizens of the world to own our individual responsibility for the world we are a part of.  It’s about little steps that collectively have a big impact on transformational change in our world.

Watch the two-minute video here.

I’m inspired. I’m moved. I’m committed. Are you?

I’m excited to share details about a project that I’m undertaking this coming year, beginning this week. It’s called E=mc2 which stands for “Engaging Women in Meaningful Conversations Makes Community”. I’ve created a logo that captures the essence of the project. Every week I’ll be engaging a woman unknown to me (a stranger) in a meaningful conversation with 10 questions. I’ll post about the conversation in my blog every week. It’s part of my commitment to inspire more meaningful communication among women. Hopefully the questions I ask will have people intrigued and wanting to carry on the conversation with friends and loved ones. My posts will paint a varied picture of women’s insights into themselves and what’s important to them.

This project was inspired by a man named Jayson Krause, who has recently completed a year’s worth of conversations with 52 strangers. He has since begun a Crusade for Meaningful Connection, inviting the conversations to continue. I’ve tweaked his approach a bit, changing the questions and focussing only on women.

I am excited and curious as I begin this quest. I don’t easily engage in conversation with strangers on this level. It’s uncharted territory. And it’s important. It’s important to me because I’ve discovered through my work and in my life that so many women have a deep desire to engage in meaningful conversations, to foster that feeling of intimacy that we all crave on some level and to be known and witnessed. I’ve been exploring a lot lately about the dis-connect that is so pervasive in our society today – we are too busy, spread too thin and moving too quickly to engage. We are afraid of having our true selves be known and yet it’s what many of us deeply desire.

E=mc2 is an attempt to bridge that gap. It’s a beginning place. It’s an opportunity to begin a conversation that I hope will continue. I’m excited to see where this will lead and invite you along on the journey week by week. Buckle up as I prepare to leap!