ARE WE CHASING THE IMPOSSIBLE?

“How many things are looked upon as quite impossible until they have been actually effected. —Pliny.

For those of us who work in behaviour change, there is this incredible danger of burning out in pursuit of that change.

For all the strong desires to get leaders and their teams to think about how they can do things that are kind and compassionate in the way we work or pursue public life, the challenge can seem somewhat Sisyphean.

For every well-constructed position that can be levied in support of better managing climate change, tackling racism, gender disparities, alleviating poverty, there will be an equally vocal and resistant voice. Pushing back claiming that these issues are over egged or that they are a wicked problem that many have tried to tackle in vain in the past and didn’t succeed.

For practitioners, leaders and other stakeholders in this space, it may seem that we are chasing the impossible, but I take comfort in the fact many people thought flying 600 mph in a 442 ton tube of metal was impossible. That running a mile in four minutes was not doable. That oppressive regimes could always be overthrown.

So maybe we are chasing the impossible. Nothing wrong with that. As you were