This I believe

A few hundred words or less, one person at a time sharing their thoughts. “This I believe” began 50 years ago but is just as relevant today.
Over the coming weeks I want to take some times with the tougher questions we don’t often ask. It is easy to skip along dealing with the objectives and tactics of our day-to-day, but the really good stuff comes when we stop and take the time to really think about what matters to us. It’s important for our organisations, but it’s also important for us individually.

Today I am starting with the question “what do you believe?”

In the 1950s, a radio program was launched in the US called “This I believe”. It was hosted by acclaimed journalist Edward R Murrow and aimed “to point to the common meeting grounds of beliefs, which is the essence of brotherhood and the floor of our civilization.”

Each week people from all walks of life, shared in an essay of 500 hundred words or less, the passions and beliefs that defined them. The series continues today on NPR radio and has become a growing movement.

What was needed then is even more necessary and relevant today. When cycles of information are old almost before they are public, taking time in genuine reflection of what we believe is one way we can address our growing sense of disconnect with each other and the world around us.

Recently in the US, I stumbled upon the book of the same name while wandering around my favourite bookstore. I sped through over half of the book over my morning cup of tea, absorbed and engaged by the stories. But more than that I was moved to think about what my own essay might be. What did I believe?

I am still working on my essay and I will submit it to the “This I believe” web site when I am done (and share it here with you). But I would love it not to stop at that, so I encourage you to write your own as well. Whether you submit it, read it to your family and friends, share it with your co-workers or tuck it into your journal to revisit in another time, I encourage you to try.

For a little inspiration try reading some of the essays on the web site of the same name.

What do you believe?

See you next week.

Alignment is Michel’s passion. Through her work with Brandology here in Australia, and Brand Alignment Group in the United States, she helps organisations align who they are, with what they do and say to build more authentic and sustainable brands.