The desire to do something is strongly associated with masculine energy and I feel it. However, from Claudia Dommaschk, who writes Immediacy Forum, I learned something that I want to live by as best I can. How we do something is as important as what we do.
I have a project that I would like to launch and I have been thinking about how to proceed. And I welcome all helpful suggestions. And I welcome questions.
What I would like to do is design and build a container for an online community at scale that will be a good experience for all. The basic building block will be organizing in cohorts of five people. Initially, the project will draw heavily on Claudia’s ideas, particulary the importance of healthy feminine energy.
As a next step I am trying to build a project leadership team of five people practicing collective leadership as co-creators. How we work together will be as important as what we accomplish. I will try to step back enough to make sufficient space for everyone on the team.
Holding space for others is easier in theory than in practice. Recently in our online community founded by Claudia, Wisdom Exchange (WE) , another member said something that triggered me. I reacted as if my project had been attacked. I caused a rupture in my relationship with that other member.
Wisely, WE have agreements as members, one of which is to repair ruptures. Later, upon reflection, I realized that my project was taking up so much room in my head that I was unable to hold space for another member. I realized I was holding my project tightly. My intention, which I will bring to the project leadership team, is to hold space for others and value the team members more than the project itself.
I would also like the project team to be an island of coherence, an island of sanity and an opportunity for individual growth and development if we so choose, a good experience.
Why is also important. Cliché: we will do this in service to others. Truth: we will do this in service to others.
But why am I wanting to do this. To elevate my status? To feed my ego? To leave a legacy? Yes. Yes. Yes. And in service to others.
Why did I entitle this article Average and Ordinary? In my opinion, elites are not leading us in the direction we need to go. We average and ordinary people need to do this ourselves, and do many other things ourselves. WE are doing this ourselves already. Wisdom Exchange is the model of an online community that I would like to scale.
This seems like a useful project to me, John. I really like the emphasis on co-creation and the recognition of the feminine energy involved in inviting co-creation, even though your posting this exhibits your masculine energy.. I think it is important as well to acknowledge that by lifting up the feminine, you are not attempting to lower the need for masculine energy. I also really like your last paragraph, which emphasizes the importance of the extraordinary contributions of ordinary people.