Category Archives: Managing Change

Have you ever wondered what makes life great? (my answers in a short script)

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Have you ever wondered what makes life great? Here are my answers in a short script. Recently I wrote the script (see it below this intro) for a video I hope to make. In answering the question of what makes life great, the script will:

  1. Introduce you to what I call sustainable variety, or SustaVariety,
  2. Say what you can do right now to create more SustaVariety, and
  3. Invite you to join some adventurous projects (and related groups, courses, events and more) I’ve started to create more SustaVariety.

If you have any comments, feedback and/or suggestions on the script, see the paragraph after the script for details and how you might benefit. Here it is:

*** script below ***

Have you ever wondered what makes life great? What do you think makes people feel more alive, excited, vital and engaged? I’ve thought about this a lot, and a good answer is what I like to call sustainable variety. Sometimes I call it SustaVariety. It’s variety that continues, refreshes, and renews. Examples include events, friends or activities that keep you engaged, but also keep changing enough so you don’t get bored, although not changing so much it’s crazy, unhealthy, dangerous, or something else unsustainable. How the events, friends or activities change might be why they are more sane, healthy, safe, and sustainable. And how we nurture and encourage those kinds of changes probably makes a difference. Some of these kinds of changes can be guided by the idea and pursuit of sustainable variety. Do you think SustaVariety sounds like something worth exploring and striving for?

The thing is, I don’t think sustainable variety just accidentally happens, at least not on a consistent basis. I do think there are things we can do to increase our chances of it. Here’s something you can start doing right now: When you’re faced with choices, ask which options will enhance sustainable variety for yourself and others? Additionally, you can get involved in some adventurous projects (and related groups, courses, events and more) I’ve developed with proximity thinking that provide options to help create and spread sustainable variety. By getting involved, you will likely create more sustainable variety and have some adventures of your own while trying the projects, growing them, experimenting and collaborating around them, and improving them.

I’m David Loughry, creator of proximity thinking and a sustainable variety collaborator. I invite you to get involved in creating more SustaVariety. I invite you to join me and/or people you know, and probably people you don’t know, in some adventurous projects (and related groups, courses, events and more) in creating more SustaVariety.

I hope there will be real world events, online interactions and ongoing and growing projects, groups and more. I’m in a coworking conference room now where we can collaborate and at the same time, people online can collaborate with us and each other from their locations. I’m based in Los Angeles, so if you’re in the area or traveling through, I hope you’ll come to an event. And if you’re not around LA, I hope to interact with you online. Perhaps if this grows, I can travel to other places for events too.

Check the space around this video for more info, more things you can start doing right now, and links to projects, groups, courses, upcoming events and more. If this sounds interesting, enjoyable and fun, please let other people know about it too! Thanks!

*** end of script ***

If you have any comments, feedback and/or suggestions on the script, please let me know in the comments or contact me directly here! By doing so, you’ll likely help the proximity of this situation, you might help others and you might get proxri for it as well, from me and/or other people (if you use some of these suggestions for how to make it easy for people to proxri you).

For info and links to more about SustaVariety projects, events, courses, groups and adventures, and ways you can get involved, with or without money, go to: loughry.com

To encourage, amplify and speed up my efforts to create and spread more SustaVariety, you can proxri my efforts financially and/or in non-financial ways via: patreon.com/loughry

Different Way to Organize Society

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(r] proxthink.com

Not sure if I’ve mentioned this, but the integrated sustainable proximities approach amounts to an attempt to imagine a different way to organize society. Not only that, but it is designed to be able to exist alongside other organizational forms. And, to allow smooth transitions from other forms to it.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Four Points for a Different Way

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(r] proxthink.com

A four point argument:

1. We have to focus more on proximities, such as contexts, environments and the myriad elements surrounding and connected to our tough challenges.

2. Our existing social structure (markets, governments, democracy) doesn’t support that very well.

3. Networks are part of the answer, in terms of physical structure.

4. The ProxThink framework provides a new conceptual structure, to complement networks.

………………….

Expansion of Point 1

The following issues and areas point towards a greater need for paying attention to, relating to, and even taking care of, proximities: globalization, the environment, climate change, pollution, energy transitions, economic turmoil, externalities, species extinction, population growth, health degradation, etc.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Leveraging Technology plus Liking What You Do

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(r] proxthink.com

The power of technology is the leverage it provides. It means that a few people can create and/or maintain what many people need.

And, those few people can even like what they do. They can like it, as it engages them.

So let’s try a system where, for some proximities, a few such people use the sustainable proximities approach to coordinate and collaborate, in order to create and/or maintain technology which supports and sustains a proximity.

What would other people do? They would do the same thing, if they want to, for that proximity or other proximities. (Remember, proximities overlap.) And if they don’t want to, they can do other things.

Let’s try it with things that are simple. Then repeat, improve, and try harder things.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Proximity-Focused ProxThink Framework Offers New Ways to Think, Relate, Create, Innovate, and Sustainably Grow

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Short Summary

If we want to tackle tough challenges, such as globalization, economic turmoil and climate change, we may need new ways of thinking and relating. As a bonus, other things may get a boost, such as design, culture and fun. ProxThink is a framework for the proximity of situations, offering individuals and groups new ways to think, relate, create, innovate, and sustainably grow. People can explore, learn about and use it at http://proxthink.com.

Full Announcement

If we want to tackle tough challenges, such as globalization, economic turmoil and climate change, we may need new ways of thinking and relating. Thanks to scientists and philosophers, we know that things are connected and related, and that being is about relating. However, to make the most of these insights, we could use a general, widely shared, practical framework, which might suggest different ways of seeing the world and interacting with it. “I’ve tried to develop something with that potential,” says David Loughry, creator of ProxThink. The developments include a foundation, terms, patterns, models and tools that, with a focus on the proximity of situations, form a framework. The meaning of “proximity” includes nearness in relationship, so you can think of the proximity as elements related, or potentially related, to your situation. The framework is general and simple enough for conversation, yet also presents diverse possibilities, offering individuals and groups new ways to think, relate, create, innovate, and sustainably grow. People can explore, learn about and use it at the ProxThink website.

The perhaps surprising upshot is that this framework helps us relate to and within contexts, networks and environments, which can be considered from a proximity point of view. This is timely since social and technological networks, as well as global social, political, economic and environmental challenges, shift some of the emphasis to the proximity of situations. Further, ProxThink can relate to many different proximities, and in the process boost fun, the arts and culture; support science, engineering and design; promote sustainability; acknowledge and work with complexity; as well as be useful in situations ranging from everyday life and personal relationships to business and markets. Loughry says, “I call this framework ProxThink, short for proximity thinking and the different ways of relating that can result from proximity thinking. In the process of creating it, I’ve developed a number of proposed standards I hope others will adopt and adapt. These include standards for thinking structures, creativity patterns, downloadable content, climate change efforts and a growth model for people who share a proximity. I’m also curious how people will use the patterns and tools designed for creativity and innovation. As a designer, businessperson, inventor, writer and artist myself, they have helped me. In fact, some of the patterns co-evolved with my creative activities. On a larger scale, the ProxThink sustainable proximities approach is an effort to create, for some proximities, new options more suited to our highly networked world.”

Although the full framework cannot be explained here, a brief overview follows. ProxThink, with a focus on proximities, consists of the following three elements: 1) a new structure for thinking and relating, paired with 2) a creativity and innovation system. These were then used as building blocks for 3) a new kind of growth model for people who share a proximity. The new structure for thinking and relating consists of two foundational elements, four terms and two tools. The creativity and innovation system consists of 16 related proximity patterns and tools which leverage them. The growth model consists of four related processes, was created to work with networks, and includes new kinds of rewards called “proxri.” The growth model may provide a kind of evolutionary path for business models. The growth model can be combined with some existing technologies, networks, and participatory aspects of the Internet to create a new sustainable proximities approach, which can enable proximity-focused cooperation and collaboration while fostering greater sustainability. Loughry has begun to apply the growth model and the sustainable proximities approach to several areas, including climate change, downloadable content, web business models, intellectual property, and enhancements to markets. He believes ProxThink may be especially useful for challenges in which standard approaches are not working, for things that have never been done before, and for when people are stuck. People can explore, learn about and use it at the ProxThink website, where memberships start at $4.95 per year (yes, per year) with a 30 day free trial. There are also some free ProxThink resources, including videos. In addition, Loughry is available for webcam support as well as for seminars, speaking, consulting or collaboration on a short- or long-term basis. He is based in Los Angeles. For more, visit http://proxthink.com.