Every so often, or say once every 365 days, we are given an opportunity for a fresh start. Last year’s stress, indiscretions and Diet Pepsi addictions are a thing of the past, while the door opens to a brand new year of possibilities. It’s the New Year and with it comes endless potential. Smile more, drink less, smoke never, exercise often, read daily, no cookies in bed, yoga at sunrise, starvation after sunset, no emails at the dinner table, a cleaner inbox at the office… and the list goes on. However, all too often these changes just don’t seem to stick. As you approach the personal, professional and organizational changes you hope to make in 2012, success may simply lie in redefining the problem or opportunity before jumping in to making a drastic change. A simple redefinition therefore, may be all you need to get in the right mindset to really make a positive change.
Way back In 2011 I had the pleasure of spending my second year as a program director with TEDxToronto. The day of inspiration, information and thought-provoking conversation was themed to the tune of ‘Redefinition’. After reading through hundreds of proposals from potential speakers, it hit home with me how important the ‘redefinition’ phase was to making substantial changes. When event day finally came and we had our 13 speakers on stage, one by one, each speaker delivered their vision of the redefinition required in their field of interest. The topics were broad: ‘redefining what it means to be a citizen’, ‘ redefinition of human augmentation’ (are cyborgs a reality of the future?), ‘redefining how we think about hospital food’ and ‘redefining how medical professionals perceive failure’ were just a few discussed throughout the day.
Dr. Brian Goldman
Recent Toronto Mayor David Miller, and ER doctor, author and CBC personality, Dr. Brian Goldman, took the stage at TEDxToronto and shared their visions of where redefinition is necessary to move forward. Dr. Goldman tackled the culture of shame that exists in the medical field. He shared medical professionals’ systemic reluctance to address and discuss their mistakes, and how that in turn creates unrealistic expectations that perpetuate problems. Dr. Goldman proposed that our medical culture should be redefined to recognize that medical professionals make mistakes and while accountability must occur, if we discuss them and learn from them, things will get significantly better.
David Miller
David Miller took a similar approach to the theme as he discussed the mental shift that citizens need to make in order to create positive change in their communities; be it local or national. He investigated the way that politicians and the media degrade our roles in society by constantly referring to us as “tax payers”. That title has a natural connection to consumerism, but we are so much more than consumers of government’s services – we define what those services are. We are citizens, families, park visitors, neighbours, community leaders, volunteers and much more. This shift in our mindset will help propel our cities, provinces and nation forward as we better understand who we are and take a natural ownership of our role in our communities.
As highlighted by these two celebrated NSB speakers, change doesn’t always need to be rooted in a massive overhaul of actions but can be effectively sparked by redefining the issue or redefining how you look at it and taking it on in this new light. This year, as you look to make positive changes in your life, consider this approach to helping you achieve your goals. All the best to a wonderful 2012!
Tags: CBC, David Miller, Dr. Brian Goldman, Former Toronto Mayor, Jeff Lohnes, National Speakers Bureau, NSB, TEDxToronto, Theresa Beenken
