This article was originally published in Mumbrella.
We all have a degree of agency in our lives. Every morning we wake and decide what we’re going to do with our day. We’re free to choose who we work for, the types of services or projects we help deliver, and if we’re going to be comfortable with the outcome.
Choice is empowering, but it also comes with enormous responsibility.
Aristotle urged us to ask: “What type of person should I be?”
His ethical system encouraged us to seek a balance between the vices of excess and deficiency. To be courageous but not reckless; to be charitable; to enjoy life but not drift into vulgarity or overconsumption; to be proud but self-effacing; to express honesty with tactfulness; to admit error and not fear shame; and most importantly to seek the “golden mean” or the middle ground.
To find this middle ground, we need to observe, listen and consider our position in relation to another’s point of view. It’s how we bring people and societies together, knowing consensus on any matter is near impossible. It’s also how we create and innovate to find purposeful campaigns for our clients.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have a firmly held opinion. It means considering your decisions’ impact on others and the shared environment we inhabit.
The world definitely feels unbalanced. In fact, we’re probably facing the most disruptive pivot point since the end of the second World War, when borders, economies and the balance of global world power undertook seismic shifts.
The slow dismantling of women’s rights, natural disasters triggered by climate change, Australia’s environmental decline and the collapse of native species are beyond concerning.
These issues often feel out of our control: what can one person do to affect such global events?
