When I was a child, perhaps 12 years old, my mother turned 40 and I remember it was a Big Deal for her. She didn’t want it to be a Big Deal, but some of her friends planned a surprise party for her, which she discovered was in the works. So instead of throwing a surprise party, they threw a “non-surprise” party complete with a big yellow construction sign announcing to the world that she had passed this particular mark on her journey. Then there was the male stripper. If you know that my mother is a former Catholic nun, you get the picture that this made the event a Big Deal.

At the time I tried to imagine what it would be like when I turned 40. It seemed so far away. Past the turn of the century.  Some other foreign land of future time that barely had any meaning to me then. Now that I’m here, 2008 seems very present to me. I’m in grad school, I’m a consultant, I have an amazing family and an expanding cadre of friends doing good work in the world. My idealism is as present as ever, but it’s more refined, deeper, trusting people to be who they are and still wanting to strive toward the as-yet-to-be-defined best in all of us. I’m intensely grateful for my life. And the ongoing sense of being on a journey that’s bigger than me and also a collaborator with me. We’re woven together in the interplay of individual/collective, each supporting the other to realize itself more fully as part of a larger whole. My mother, my life, and all of the people on my journey have helped me see this is how life works.

Being present to what’s happening right now is, well, really cool. The present is where the individual and collective really meet each other, the place where things actually happen, the place where new possibilities emerge, where we imagine better futures, where we experience all there is to experience. The wisdom traditions of the world invite us to get in touch with the present through meditation and prayer. The expanding modern work on multiple intelligences is really all about the “multiple intelligences of the present.”

As I move into my next decade, my wish for myself and for the world is that we choose to be conscious of the fact that we live in the present. What will happen in the future is important, yes. And how we are right now will determine that future course.

Turning 40 is a Big Deal for me because it’s a marker of coming into my own. While I consider myself a life-long learner, I am also making a choice to speak out more, to be more present with my unique voice, to contribute what I have to contribute, to lead where leadership is needed. We live in a time that calls for a fullness of thinking, being, and acting. I’m signing up to contribute my part and encouraging others to do the same.

For the past few months, I’ve been doing a bit of action research for my own organization. The goal is to better understand peoples’ perceptions of the future and how that perception can or should impact their actions in the present. The research protocol is very simple. When you are engaged in conversation and have achieved a reasonable level of trust, ask the question, “What do you and your organization need to be and do to be relevant in the next 20 to 50 years?”

I find that this question elicits a variety of interesting responses. Invariably, it gets people thinking about the futures they think are likely and how they might respond to them. My goal in the conversation, which may happen over time, is to move from this “respond to” position toward a more proactive stance that identifies concrete action that will help create a desired future. There is something incredibly powerful in the act of choosing your preferred future. Along the way there is a shift where people begin to see themselves as creators of culture rather than simply consumers of culture. This is the magic moment where empowering possibilities arise.

You are hereby invited to try this experiment yourself. Start with people you know well and see where the conversation leads. Invite them to join the experiment too, and to report back their results. Try it on yourself and see what happens.

As always, if you have an ah-ha experience and are willing to share, or if this raises questions or concerns for you, please let me know.

I look forward to the conversation.

I received this quotation via the excellent Thought for the Day list produced by Joel and Michelle Levey at Wisdom at Work. Many thanks to Joel and Michelle for their ongoing good work in the world.

Parker Palmer is an educator who writes quite eloquently about leadership in education and beyond. I highly recommend his work.