Want positive change? Apply the 30% rule

Everything I talk about in this blog, and everything I focus on in my work, is ultimately aimed at one thing - catalyzing positive change. For me, that positive change starts at the individual level and ripples out.

An awareness of the issues is important, but too often the quest for awareness turns into little more than "bad news porn." This is wrong, and that is screwed up, and those people over there are doing such stupid things! We can get so caught up in what's wrong that we never focus our attention to what's really important - how to take the steps to create what's right.

I spent yesterday at the GreenFestival in Seattle. One of the speakers I caught was Sharif Abdullah, author of The Power of One and Creating a World That Works for All. In his talk, he described what he called the 30% rule.

In a nutshell, the 30% rule says we should spend no more than 30% of our time talking about what's wrong, and focus the remaining 70% on exploring, strategizing, and taking action.

On his blog recently, he described how it plays out in his own life:

• I only spend 30% of my time talking about problems – any more than that is disempowering (which is not my intention). The other 70% of my time I focus on visions and solutions.

• I refuse to pay attention to sources that spend 100% of their time talking about problems (the negative energy stream). This includes highly credible, well researched, fact-filled sources like Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn. We simply don’t have the time to bathe in a constant stream of negativity.

• I am encouraging others to follow the “30% Rule”. WE SIMPLY DON’T HAVE TIME TO RUN AROUND TALKING ABOUT PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF SOLUTIONS. It’s like running into a crowded theater yelling “Fire!”. Instead of showing people to the exits, instead of coming in with a fire hose or a fire extinguisher, you just keep yelling “Fire!”. Very quickly, that becomes counterproductive. Someone said, “You don’t get points for just predicting rain; you get points for building an ark.”

I love this mindset, whether we are thinking about positive change that needs to be made in the world around us, or changes we need to make in our own lives. Nothing happens by focusing entirely on the problem. Positive change happens when we ask ourselves, OK, so what do I do about it? And then start taking action.

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Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst ^TM

Comments

[Dean]

That is an excellent idea. I have to find a way to incorporate it into my life. Thanks for sharing.

[Ellen]

Hi Curt,

thanks for sharing this! You really made me smile with your 'bad news porn' expression..
What an excellent, accurate qualification!

I love that 30% rule, it is exactly what I hope to accomplish with my own blog. Where I previously had discussions on why the media keep sticking to that bad news..

And why, in the information age where everyone is overstimulated with information, most people still have a tendency to choose exactly that.. the negative 'disaster-like' headlines..

I totally agree with you that this rule is also so important on a personal level.. I truly believe, than when you start focusing on the positive sides, on the possibilities instead of the difficulties, those possibilities will show themselves to you more and more.. Simply because you're open to it...

[Curt Rosengren]

I'm glad the post resonated with you both. :-)

Dean, one great first step to incorporating it into your life might be to simply cultivate awareness. Every time a friend who was with me at the GreenFestival catches herself noting something negative, she has been saying out loud, "30%." It's amazing how simply being aware of where your focus is going can start to shift that focus.