I facilitated a team collaboration experience last week. One of the tools I invited the group to utilize is something I affectionately call, "The Golden Rule of Brainstorming & Improv Comedy." It's the simple statement, "Yes, and...!" I've shared about this idea in the past, and in light of our national holiday this week, I thought of another application for it.
As we celebrate the 4th of July this week, we will hear lots of calls to celebrate the freedoms we have as people who live in America. There is certainly a place for truly being grateful for our freedom! And...as a professional coach one of the frameworks I use on a regular basis is asking people what their next steps are to help them keep moving forward. One of the questions I sometimes use to frame this forward approach is, "And what would you like to do about that?"
When I couple these two ideas together, it seems like we could easily add a simple "Yes, and..." to our gratitude for having freedom. In other words, it seems like the real question related to this freedom is, "What do we want to do with it?!" Yes, let's celebrate and be grateful we have all of this hard-won freedom in our lives, AND how are we going to use these freedoms in a way that takes them seriously and with the amount of responsibility they demand.
For example, how do we want to use our freedom for the common good of our fellow citizens? Do we need to raise our voice and speak up with anyone trying to convey a message for some kind of change? How does voting fit into the "yes, and..." mindset connected to our freedom? Is there someone around us who is being overlooked, and how could we be an advocate for them in a way that helps them feel seen and heard? What other ideas come to your mind?
Yes, we can and should celebrate and be grateful for our freedom, AND how are we going to respond to that freedom we have been given?
Here's to considering our "yes, and..." responsibilities as we celebrate our freedom this week!
Be Well,
Stephen
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