10 May Bright Spots

One of my favorite methods for encouraging positive change is finding a bright spot.

The Heath Brothers – Dan and Chip – introduced me to the idea of bright spots in their book “Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard”. They describe a bright spot as “a successful effort worth emulating”. Rather than telling people what to do, they share how it is way more helpful to show people what is working for other people and letting folks learn from the example. Sometimes it is as simple as stealing an idea from somewhere else that works and using it yourself. At other times, a bright spot provides inspiration, and folks change and adapt the lesson from the bright spot to solve their own problems.

“The future is already here. It is just not evenly distributed” is a quote often attributed to science fiction writer William Gibson.  Whether he said it or not, the idea resonates with me. All over the world, there are innovative solutions to challenging problems. We need to spread the word about these solutions so we can all enjoy a better world.