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From Good Girl to Fighting for the *Greater* Good. Let’s Be Paradigm Shifters, Together.

From Good Girl to Fighting for the *Greater* Good. Let’s Be Paradigm Shifters, Together.

This is a funny combo of quiet and outspoken, and I know I’m not the only one: I’m a recovering “good girl” who now openly questions the insane harmful systems that dominate around the globe.

In other words, when I was younger, I used to be too quiet in an attempt to seem “good” and to stay safe (beyond the normal level of the positive quiet of introverts).

Now my desire for the Greater Good is winning out, and I’ve become more outspoken, more and more each year.

To be sure, it’s not always easy to speak up. I’ve learned not to go it alone (because you can get squashed and/or waste your time). I also have to soothe the “Good Girl Police” inside me, as I go. But I’m learning, stretching, growing.

I am determined to be part of moving from the dominant broken paradigm (money-driven and violent) to a life-affirming, nature-centric paradigm.

I know. It’s a long journey from here to there but I am finding it joyful along the way, whenever I turn in that direction. It’s way better on this road than the old crumbling one. Especially when I connect with kindred spirits.

This “New” Paradigm Is Our Ancestral Heritage

Triskele - symbol of natural resilience
This Triskele is an ancient symbol found in Ireland and other places in Europe, most likely about natural rhythms of the seasons.

A nature-centric world view is what research has shown me is the true ancestral heritage of all humans.

No wonder it feels so much more true to my own nature. No wonder so many are drawn to it.

This true nature paradigm has been alive all along, sometimes in the shadows and in Indigenous cultures around the globe, and it is expanding, despite pressures against it.

I’ll share more of what I mean about what’s unfolding, why it’s hard, and what can help.

Transition Is Hard But It’s Unfolding.

The expansion of this paradigm shift is part of why there’s increasing repression of it, because people who hold power don’t want that to change and they have a lot of power to manipulate and repress. I know it can be so discouraging for me sometimes.

A “best use of me” is to help other introverted paradigm-shifters to find their place in this unfolding, and to find community.

It might sound scary on the one hand to join in the shift, but a sense of truth is the freedom we crave anyway.

Truth will lift your spirits and it all gets easier each step of the way.

Paradigm Shifting Examples for Our Work

One way I’m bringing this paradigm shift to life is in the framework I use with my clients to explain the steps to move toward meaningful work. It reveals a more holistic paradigm for work, for business, and for how we can create in alignment with the Greater Good.

The framework also still supports our own livelihood and well-being. It’s all connected.

The framework itself is in the shape of a circle instead of a line or hierarchy, like a typical set of steps would be. Somehow a circle brings things into more calming balance between yin (gentle) and yang (fast/driven).

The old paradigm is lopsided, with too much yang, or go-go-go energy, and it’s exhausting, and frankly it’s unhealthy for both the providers and consumers. The shape of a model makes so much difference.

When I discovered the circle model idea, with interconnected parts like a mandala, it felt like a relief. My body said yes.

When I show the framework to my clients, their bodies seem to say yes with relief too. (Sorry it’s too much to show and explain the whole framework here.)

organic
Nature knows the way.

I didn’t set out to create a new paradigm for business. It simply revealed itself to me over time while doing this work.

An organic model is the only thing that made sense to me, as I observed my own work journey and those around me.

I think that too is part of the new paradigm… that truth reveals itself to you if you’re paying attention. It’s not about fixing.

It’s about Allowing what wants to move through you. Nature knows the way.

Allowing means you’re not broken. The system is.

We can find what fits for you, instead of fitting you to the system.

We can choose to ignore our true heart signals inside, or we can choose to listen, learn, and follow our wise hearts and the heartbeat of truth around us.

Paradigm Shifters Need Each Other.

I admit I feel nervous to share this post widely as it might sound “out there”, and that’s scary to stick my neck out. And yet, I have so many colleagues on this journey with me, who get it. I know I’m not alone.

That’s another way this holistic paradigm plays out for me is the importance of connecting in community, instead of slogging along in the old paradigm’s “lone wolf” idea (which was always a myth). Yes, community is important for introverts too. Even wolves know it’s best to live in packs, not alone.

mastermind groups for introverts - Better Together

Don’t step out on a limb alone. That is dangerous. No wonder you’re scared.

When two or more are gathered together, it’s amazing how it feels and how much more effective it is.

For community, I’ve discovered that introverts tend to thrive best in meaningful small groups, so we might need to find the right kind of community for our needs. Then community can be so amazing!

True community can support us in feeling more rooted, with a bodily knowing that we belong somewhere. And it can generate sparks of insight that lead to flowing action.

I’m part of a community of heart-centered solopreneurs and I’m also part of a neighborhood community, which is a “cohousing” community. Both feel so right.

I also shift the word solopreneur to SOULpreneur to recognize this shift away from solo, to something more real, more heart-centered, and more connected even if it’s still a one-person business on paper.

Can you feel the paradigm-shifter inside you too?

If you’re feeling bewildered by the negative swirl around you (and I sure know the feeling myself), and you feel an inner knowing that some things are so broken (yep, so clearly)…

I want you to know that there are others just like you, with that ache, and that Knowing that something better is possible.

We are paradigm shifters, and we are slowly but surely breathing life into something truer.

Let’s blow on the embers of that Knowing inside. It needs regular doses of love and compassion.

Support for Nurturing the Paradigm Shifter in You

If you’re hungry for more support for the paradigm shifter in you, here’s some more you could check out:

Val Nelson

Val Nelson

I’ve been a self-employed career/business/purpose coach since 2009. I help introverts and HSPs (like me) who want to make a difference — in a way that fits our practical needs too.
Val Nelson | Coaching | Groups | Courses | Newsletter | LinkedIn

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