Debbie Adams / The Story so Far…

How many of us will start with the weather and its effect on the surrounding scenery?? Maybe my Natural Change colleagues will have better words than me to describe the journey up the west coast of Scotland to Mallaig and across to Knoydart. It was so beautiful to see Knoydart against a cloudless blue sky (yes, in Scotland in October!). If we could guarantee a few weeks of this weather a year Ullapool would have an international airport.

So far so good. I learn best when interacting with others so the engagement I’ve had with the group so far shows real promise for my learning opportunities; all really interesting and experienced individuals. I think they will also be a good group to laugh with – very important!

Tuesday morning found us outside the tepee (sorry Gill, bell tent) talking to each other about ‘what we need right now’. It was quite hard to identify this because I recognise that I already have a lot (and not just material possessions). I settled on a need to ‘feel inspired’ and connected to making a difference. It’s important for me to continually think about the aims of my organisation and find ways to see the difference we make. How much does this translate into my personal life? What kinds of activities make me enthusiastic and happy?

Dave reminded us of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (and other models) and no one had identified a ‘need’ that was in the bottom two levels (physiological and safety -think there may be a copy of these theories on the website somewhere). Most individuals within developed western societies have these levels met so we tend to be more concerned with the three higher levels (love/belonging, esteem, self-actualisation). One theory is that only Jesus and Ghandi have truly reached self-actualisation. Is self-actualisation something we should aspire to?  These examples do not make me want to reach self-actualisation – sounds like too much self-sacrifice for me.