9.19.2023 — Motivation Mondays: On Consciousness and Minimalism, Coms Toolkit for Social Impact, Racial Equity Library for Foundations & Investors, and a Cross-Cutting STEM + Policy Fellowship
This week on Motivation Mondays a reflection on collective consciousness and…
- Communications Toolkit for Social Impact
- Mission Investors Exchange’s Racial Equity Library
- Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program
It feels good to be back from a couple of weeks' hiatus from writing these posts — I don’t make these newsletters on holidays or significant Mondays (i.e 9/11). Last week was also long for Asian Americans in the Pacific Northwest — multiple instances of violence, cruelty, and racist hate crimes occurred. I spent much time in the community and with friends and family. We shared stories and recipes, drank comfort beverages (tea and boba) and ate culturally relevant food — even made my own mooncakes from scratch (I am not sure I recommend it — took a lot of work, grateful for my dear friend’s technical baking skills and guidance and it is definitely more delicious than ordering it). Attending a Beyoncé and Common show also didn’t hurt.
A message from tonight’s show with Common left me thinking a lot about “consciousness.” He mentions it multiple times throughout his set, and outside of the genius of his lyrics, he’s also written two books full of gems. This excerpt really resonated with me:
“Nevertheless, in love, the present matters. There is always an opportunity to learn and experience something new, to expose ourselves to wisdom by recognizing the humanity in others, to see through their eyes our one world; in this way, with love, we enter an empathetic space, as if it were a portal to a whole new world.”
― Common, Let Love Have the Last Word: A Memoir
Consciousness is a key element of presence. According to AI, consciousness is the state of being aware of and responsive to one’s surroundings. It’s the awareness of your thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations, and environment. Consciousness is subjective and unique to each individual. Consciousness can be used to describe:
- Perceptual awareness
- Being awake and alert
- Self-awareness and intentionality
The Oxford Dictionary of the English Language defines consciousness as the state of being awake and aware of one’s surroundings, having awareness or perception of something by a person, or the fact of the awareness by the mind of itself and the world.
I would go as far as to say consciousness can be the point where our sensitivities let go of our ego and connect to humanity and life outside our individual being. I’m grateful to be in a community with some inspiring leaders who have extensive decades of experiences of hate crimes, racism, and leading through the fires of healing a community after trauma. One of these leaders said in passing at a community gathering that we need to have compassion for the person who committed the hate crime at the Wing Luke Museum. I’m not sure I’m quite there yet, but the thought is something to aspire to, and I’m deeply moved by it. What does it mean to be awake? Where does the waking end and awareness begin? For some, it takes a cup of coffee in the morning; for others, it takes a lifetime. Where are you on this journey? How could awareness be a catalyst to move us toward presence, understanding, and then action?
I’m plotting some things in my own life, work, and community commitments to shift the weight of complex systems change and frameworks to simpler, streamlined approaches and convening for impact that is measurable, relational, and deeply felt by those who’ve been historically underinvested. We are now at a different place in organizing, leadership, and funding. It’s time we change our approach.
From this mindset, I curate this week’s newsletter with practical, tactical, clear opportunities and resources that are real and tangible and help us clearly pave the path forward on the other side of the awareness mountain into the valley of action. Enjoy!
First, this is the most comprehensive overview of impact coms I’ve ever seen. If you are understaffed and under-resourced as an org/leader — this is an invaluable tool — favorite it, save it, and keep it nearby in your toolbox. You won’t regret it.
Designed by Cause Communications, it is very thorough and the table of contents doesn’t even completely do it justice, it is beyond what a free resource usually offers and provides invaluable frameworks and examples.
Next, I’m equally impressed with Mission Investors Exchange’s Racial Equity Library for impact investors and foundations (I would also include founders, VC’s, philanthropic advisors, and family offices on the list of stakeholders who would benefit from this resource). My favorite resource? The complete list of funds, advisors, and accelerators led by entrepreneurs of color. Let me know what you think!
Lastly, it is rare that a fellowship comes across my desk and stops me in my tracks. This one, from the National Academies of Sciences, intersects many sectors, bridging STEM with policy. I look forward to the future where the alums from this fellowship grace the halls of our law-making institutions and think tanks. Please share with the young people in your life! I took a student I’ve mentored for almost two decades to the Common concert tonight, and the work is never done, especially if the young people you love and support come from backgrounds with deeply entrenched inequitable systems. So here’s to forging ahead and applying the tenets of minimalism and consciousness to the effectiveness of how we innovate inside ourselves and in the spaces where we build community, meaning, and impact. Have a great week!
*This year, the làmdi newsletter will focus on the healing leader — people doing the inner work and reflection to fuel their leadership journey while also creating impact and healing in the world.
Each Monday, I will introduce you to individuals and ideas exemplifying healing leadership and how it’s transforming our humanity and how we work, live, and connect.
lamdi.co is a management consulting and executive coaching studio supporting impactful leaders, ideas, and initiatives to launch, transition, and scale.
Have an idea to scale, someone to highlight, or a story to share? connect@lamdi.co
