Author: Lynn Johnson

Lynn Johnson Social Entrepreneur. Writer/Blogger. Theater teaching artist. Amateur mixologist. Girl Advocate. Writer. Fost/adopt mama. Learner. Playful Idealist.

Overcoming Your Fears: Who Will Inspire You Today?

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IMG_1733Today is the birthday of my grandfather, Dan Phillips.  He would have been 96.  My grandfather was a kind, loving, and very effective man.  He:

  • Created things – started his career as a chemist
  • Sold things – real estate was his retirement career
  • Competed for things – he was a champion runner who was once an Olypmics hopeful
  • Fought for things – super active in civic life, he was the first black person to serve on the Evanston High School Board where he served for 25 years.

Yesterday, I made some huge proclamations to myself about the goals I am making for the next phase of my life.  So, inevitably, today, I am feeling a lot of fear.  Can I really do what I say am I going to?  What if I don’t have what it takes?  And if I don’t, shouldn’t I just give up now before I, or someone else, gets hurt?

Yesterday, I also read that quote that Cory Booker posted on Facebook via #waywire:

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Sometimes those “small people” are simply the voices inside your head, like the ones I woke up with this morning, that are encouraging you to give in to your fears.  So today, I’m very glad that today is my grandfather’s birthday.   This is just the inspiration I need.  As the “really great,” he is the perfect person to remind me that I have everything I need.  I know, from his example as well as my own experience, that I can create and sell and compete and fight for my vision and make all of my goals and my dreams come true.

Who is your inspiration today?  Who is/has been really great in your life who will stand by you in your battle to cast aside the “small people?”

 

Honoring Brave Girls on MLK Day

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rfk_ruby_bridges_480_01Today, as our country takes a break to honor the contribution of MLK, I am grateful for his legacy at the same time I am wanting more.  We know he didn’t achieve what he did by himself.  Who else are we forgetting?  Who were all of the hundreds, even thousands, of people who dared to take action who were influenced by him?  Who influenced him?  Who is telling the story of interdependence that allowed MLK to arise as the most important leader of our time?

Somewhere deep in the answers to these questions lie the stories of women and girls.

I wrote the following post for the Glitter & Razz blog:

Today we celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We also are in a full year celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement. The 1963 has been called “the year the world work up” and, in the last 50 years, many heroes have emerged from regular everyday folks. Folks who dared to do things differently than other people around them. Folks who dared to choose love over hate. Folks who dared to believe they could make a difference.
And many of these folks have been girls. READ the POST>>>

I Dare You to Imagine the Possibilities

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Posted by chemistrydoc on imgur.com

What if this was happening in a school instead of a museum?  What if the teacher meant for it happen?  Was counting on it?  What would it to do for her class?  What would it do for the school?  What would it do for the whole way we structure learning?

What if this were 1000 girls?  Or 5000 girls?  Different races, cultures, classes from all over the world doing this at exactly the same moment?  What would it do for the girls?  And what would the ripple effect be for the rest of us?

What if this were, instead, 5000 young urban black men?  How would it change them?  How would it change their families?  How would it change Oakland?  And Chicago?  And Newark?  And D.C.?  And…

What if this little girl was you in your job?  What if it were our politicians and corporate leaders?  What would it do for our workplaces and our systems? What would it do for creativity and innovation?  What would it do to our interactions with each other?

What would it do for hearts?

Thank you Rachel Kadner from the Habitot Children’s Museum for sharing this on Facebook today.

5 Ways to Give a Talk that Matters and Wows

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Yesterday, I gave my “TED-like” talk at the How Kids Learn II Conference in San Francisco.  My 18 minute talk was about igniting a compassion revolution by putting girls center stage.  Judging from the responses I got afterwards, I did a good job.  I heard stuff like: “Stunning!” “A real highlight!” “You were so f#@ckin’ amazing!!”  More formal testimonials and video to come.   Continue reading →

Why We Should Prepare to be Dangerous

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This is a big week for me as a teaching artist and girl advocate.  Not only has our Go Girsl! Camp registration opened for the summer, tomorrow, I will be giving an 18-minute TED like talk at the How Kids Learn Conference in San Francisco about my work.  The event is sold out but, don’t worry, it will be filmed and I will share it here.  My talk shares my views on:

  • Why I feel we so desperately need a compassion revolution;
  • Why I feel like we must support the leadership of girls and women to lead us in the compassion revolution; and
  • Why theater is the greatest medium for helping all of us learn and practice the skills of compassion
From my powerpoint presentation

From my powerpoint presentation

This is a big deal for me.  I want to make it clear that I am talking about something more than giving girls the opportunity to improve their self-esteem by being in some “cute plays.”  It’s bigger than that.  These are girls are engaging in a process of deciding who they want to be and co-creating the world they world they want to live in.  I really do believe these plays that Go Girls! make can change the world.

I’m just afraid that no one else believes it.  I’m afraid it’s more than we are prepared to believe.

Also this week, on Saturday in Berkeley, I will facilitate the first full membership meeting for Teaching Artists Organized (TAO).  As the Membership Committee chair of TAO, I am really pumped about about making 2013 the Year of the Teaching Artist.  I believe so strongly (and have written about this before), that, in the wake of violence and disconnection and abuse and neglect, it is time for teaching artists to rise to leadership in bringing us all back to peace.  This compassion revolution that I speak of depends on the skills of the teaching artist.  Again, sharing this on Saturday is a big deal for me.  I want to make it clear that I am talking about something more than giving kids the opportunity to get the arts education that has been so savagely eradicated from our schools.  It’s

From my powerpoint presentation

From my powerpoint presentation

bigger than that.  Teaching artists have the power to help kids and adults, in various community settings, imagine new possibilities for how we can all BE together.  By strengthening the collective imagination and giving everyday folks the tools and skills to make and do and create, we threaten the whole status quo.  As my friend, Big Rich, said to me yesterday:

“The game is in danger.  Being able to be creative and proactive is dangerous to these people.”

I’m afraid that my fellow teaching artists aren’t prepared to be dangerous.  I hope we are.  I hope I am.

How a TV fast will improve my Social Health

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Breaking Bad’s Jesse Pinkman portrayed by Aaron Paul.

Last week, after having watched 3 seasons of Breaking Bad in 3 weeks on Netflix, my partner and I decided that we needed a month-long TV fast.  We did this 2 years ago around this time of year and it was incredibly effective.  We noticed that we were happier, were more productive, and generally more peaceful. But a lot has happened over the last couple of years and TV has crept back in.  I will admit, it is a big crutch for me, a drug of choice, when other areas of my life are big and scary.  But, like my meth-head friends on Breaking Bad, it doesn’t actually make me feel very good. Continue reading →

The Only New Year’s Resolution You Need

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Repeat after me:

“In 2013, I resolve to love all the children of the world as if they are my own children.”

There you go.  You now have the only New Year’s Resolution you need.  You’re welcome.

When you look at a list of popular American New Year’s resolutions, I am sure you can relate to them.  Most of them have been on my list at least once.  And, the resolution I am offering you is not meant to replace any of these.  It’s meant to re-frame them.  Let me ask you: Why do we want to get fit and drink less and finally get our messy finances in order?  Too often, we make these resolutions for the reason – I am not a good enough person and this is the year when I will finally be a good person.  This is a sucky reason.  Plus, it’s not true.  You are already good enough.  I am already good enough.  And, as individuals, we are all doing the best we can. Continue reading →

It’s the End of the World. Time to Tell YOUR Story.

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The young artists of Project Level

It’s 12-12-12.  Some of us think today is a lucky day.  Some of us think the world will end.  People are getting married and having parties and generally trying to find ways to live up to this auspicious date.  Like humans do better than any other life form on the planet, we are making meaning.  Good.  We should be.  I suggest making today the day that you step out – bold, brave, and authentic – and tell the world your story.  If you need a bit more explanation and inspiration, as always, we should turn to our youth. Continue reading →

What is Media?: A Presentation for K-8th Graders

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Yesterday, Park Day School in Oakland, CA kicked off their annual CARE Week (Campaign for Acceptance, Respect and Empathy).  Their theme this year is MEDIA and their whole school, kindergarten through 8th grade, will dig deeper into various forms of Media, how it relates to their lives and what it has to do with creating a culture of empathy and compassion.  I was invited to be the opening assembly to kick off CARE Week for the school.

Continue reading →

Gratitude is the Opposite of Entitlement

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Although Thanksgiving has been over for more than a week, I cannot get gratitude out of my mind.  And my heart.  I really do believe that it is the number one superpower that can change any situation around and is the foundation for individual happiness and community healing.

Here’s the math:

Noticing all the things I am thankful for + Sharing them (With Myself/With Others) = “I have a pretty good life!”

Noticing all the things that piss me off + Sharing them (With Myself/With Others) = “My life sucks!”

And when we get to the “My life sucks” part of the equation, then there must be someone to blame.  I am a bad person.  My parents messed me up.  Politicians are only out to screw me.  My boss is jealous.  Etc.  Etc.  This loop only leads to an overblown sense of entitlement, which, according to Wikipedia is, “a symptom of narcissistic personality disorder, seen in those who “because of early frustrations…arrogate to themselves the right to demand lifelong reimbursement from fate.”

Gratitude and Entitlement

We certainly don’t need anymore of that.  This loop can stop with regular gratitude practice.  Do it for yourself, your family, your workplace.  Just…do it.

This post was inspired by an incredible blog post about gratitude that my partner wrote the other day on our Glitter & Razz blog.