What's the rush?

Empathy Power Up

Several months ago, your Empathy Power Up co-host Amy had an unpopular opinion: could we move back a self imposed deadline when the whole client team was working nights and weekends to get the job done?

This push towards exhaustion to reach a goal and moving onto the next thing is the conversation we’re having today.

It comes from the assembly line of the past--that we have a short period of time to do the work, then we’re onto the next item on the line. In a way we’re repeating the same actions we did long ago, but the work has evolved. It is now showing up as “hustle culture” and “move fast and break things,” technology over people.

Producing leads to consumerism, which leads again to production. On and on it goes. This is progress despite impact, and reacting to what’s in front of us instead of responding with what we need. And what’s more is that the impact of this work is creating more harm than good. It’s not sustainable.

We can slow the fast progression of the work that we do, and make space to pause, rest, and take the time to understand the impact that we’re making in our lives and the world around us. Listen more to find out some of our thoughts on the matter.

We are more than what we produce.

This episode is inspired by Tema Okun’s Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture, which brings to light the water we swim in--of the dominant culture that acts as poisons that we’ve digested our whole lives and need to be examined. Today’s reflection question is - How might I prioritize rest over rush to the truly urgent things?

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The main topics in this podcast were first presented in Amy’s book: Empathy for Change: How to Create an Understanding World: https://www.amazon.com/Empathy-Change-Create-Understanding-World. Grab a copy or download the audiobook on Audible to learn more.

Kevin A.K.A Captain Empathy is the Founder and CEO of Jaago (means to wake-up in Hindi). Jaago’s vision is to create a world where people seek to understand one another by making empathy a daily habit. He is a tech leader and IOT (Internet of Things) pioneer and expert. He brings practical experience, lived experience, and his transparent growth journey to the podcast.

Follow:

• Kevin at @shahkevin or https://linktr.ee/shahkevin
• Amy at @realamyjwilson or www.AmyJWilson.com

Cover Art Design: Amy J. Wilson with Canva