Engagement, Changing the Dialogue

I had a very interesting conversation the other day about one of the major tenants of resilience, engagement.  For a community to be resilient each member must be engaged, they have to feel as if they have a voice and that their voice matters.

Today we are more connected than ever, we have instant access to all types of information. But are we really engaged? What are our dialogues? Do we desire to be right?

I look at the news that comes screaming at me, I go to meetings where whoever yells the loudest gets heard, and I then scream myself via my online presences.

So I change my dialogue. I no longer participate in the yelling. When presented with differences, I search for commonalities. I listen carefully to what others say and try to find where we can agree, thus moving the conversation forward.  Now we are engaged, we may not agree on everything, but we are engaged.

Today, I am going to actively engage with one person in a real dialogue, you? 

Creating the “Habit of Resiliency”

Individual resilience includes nuances that readiness does not.

Because I live in New Orleans, we tend to think of readiness as Hurricane Preparedness. It is during this time that we are constantly reminded of what we must do to be prepared if/when the next big one comes. So for 6 months out of the year we prepare ourselves by stocking our bottled water, canned foods and alternate lighting sources to be READY!

But what happens the rest of the year, or during the years that we don’t get a storm? This readiness slips; until it moves from our center of attention to something that we should be doing.

So I propose a new thought of readiness, as FEMA and other organizations are now focusing on moving from Readiness to Resilience. Each of us needs to create for ourselves the “Habit of Resilience”.

As we all know, habits are something that we do unconsciously. It is where our brains have the opportunity to go on “autopilot”, thus the “habit of resiliency” becomes who we are, not what we do. We need to incorporate into our daily lives certain behaviors that will eventually lead to a habit.

So what are some of the habits I have formed?

• Getting to know my neighbors. In knowing my neighbors, I now have a sense of belonging to a community of people and in case of any emergency, I can now know who is in need of any specialized assistance.
• Voting. By voting in all elections, I have a voice in my community on who and how we are governed.
• Volunteering. I have found that this is a great way to actively engage others while sharing the skill sets that I have.

These are just a few ideas that I have incorporated. If you have any ideas or thoughts you would like to share, please post them in the comments.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Resilient Resources For Families

• Checklist: Family Emergency Plan
• Tip Sheet: Family Preparations for a Hurricane
• Tip Sheet: Prepare for those with Special Needs
• Tip Sheet: Caring for Pets during an Emergency
• Family Disaster Plan Document
• Homeowners Guide to Disasters (listed by state)