Our nation’s economy was designed by settlers who came from countries with economic systems that included plutocracies, castes, feudal systems, and slavery. They all had in common a belief that a few deserve to be wealthy and that almost everyone else should be poor. In the United States today, 30% of our citizens live in poverty or near poverty levels. We need to change our economic system. Poverty is abusive and Americans must see it as intolerable and unnecessary. That some should be extremely wealthy while others are extremely poor remains an indefensible result of the norms we inherited from our mixed heritages. My wife, Jan, was in line at Walgreens recently, and the woman ahead of her was told her bill for a 90-day supply of medicine would be $500. She obviously did not have insurance, which means she was much less able to take care of herself than somebody who could afford insurance. This country’s hardened attitude and myopic bent to reward the winners and kick the losers in our economy are morally corrupt. All of this has to change. A recent proposal to slash the safety net by $1.7 trillion before increasing jobs and addressing the systemic problems causing poverty will only delay solutions and increase poverty and suffering. We need a comprehensive plan that includes: adopting state-of-the-art economic development practices so that communities can adjust to new economic realities and develop better-paying jobs; investing more heavily in both soft skills and hard skills so that people can find new work as their previous jobs become automated or outsourced; updating our educational approaches so that children have the critical thinking skills to adapt to the rapidly changing economy; pro-rating the safety net programs so that when people do earn more money, they are not worse off for doing so; and, increasing investments in mental health and drug abuse treatment to help more people address these barriers to entering the workforce. Poverty is complicated, and numerous other local, state and national strategies must be deployed in concert to reduce poverty rates. Even with all of the best ideas, the current economy might be inadequate and require massive changes in order to reduce poverty rates. At this moment in time, slashing the safety net in hopes that it will stimulate the economy and reduce poverty rates on its own will not work. That would be akin to burning down the hospital because there is an epidemic. Let’s focus on solutions that address the complexity of poverty. From the book: Enough Money, Meaning & Friends ~ By Scott C. Miller To learn more about Scott Miller, please see his website  here .

E > P* Your vision for a sustainable community must include the formula E > P, meaning your community’s economy must grow faster than your community’s dependent population (those too young, too old, or too unqualified to work). What does sustainable mean? Jobs and careers that pay enough income to meet household needs and then some Careers that are relevant in America’s emerging economy Employment that contributes to a sustainable environment A commitment to live within one’s means A community culture of doing what is best both for the community and for the individual Once you have a clear assessment of a sustainable economic future, you need a strong plan for how you are going to prepare your community for it. Follow the TAPUMA* steps: Think: Get a coherent understanding of your poverty reduction and job creation systems. Assess: How many sustainable jobs do you need in order to have full employment? What are the system barriers and service and programs gaps that you need to address to get to full employment? Plan: How do you proceed? Underwrite: Who pays for your plan? Manage: How do you manage your progress in achieving your vision? Account: How do you meet the expectations of your underwriters and other stakeholders? *Courtesy of our colleagues at Community Economics Lab; visit: thecelab.org . Learn more: Transformational Leadership: A Framework to End Poverty ~ By Scott C. Miller To learn more about Scott Miller, please see his website  here .

A Poverty Reduction System will need to include a powerful relational strategy in order for people to take full advantage of transactional programs. Relational strategies strengthen the social capital of people who want to move out of poverty and into economic stability. Bridging capital builds relationships across socioeconomic class lines, which is important for helping people understand the middle-class rules for success in education, networking, employment, financial management, and career advancement. Bonding capital builds peer-to-peer relationships that provide motivation, support, and important information in achieving economic stability. Linking capital builds relationships between community service programs and individuals who want to use them effectively. All three types of social capital are necessary in moving out of poverty. At Circles USA, we have found over the past 20 years that social capital is essential not only to establish personal and economic stability but also to maintain that stability over time. Fostering intentional relationships that create social capital is a high impact strategy to end poverty. Learn more: Transformational Leadership: A Framework to End Poverty ~ By Scott C. Miller To learn more about Scott Miller, please see his website  here .

Circles USA invites your participation in our non-partisan Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) Challenge! COMMIT – Complete one (or more!) of these GOTV activities. Help your friends register to vote.  Educate your friends about early voting with polling locations and/or mail-in voting with mail-in locations. Dedicate your Circles weekly virtual meeting to reviewing a sample ballot. Coordinate transportation for in-person voting. Create voting accountability partners in your Chapter and text each other reminders to vote. Accompany a friend to the polls to protect against voter intimidation. Advertise where to get help on Election Day: the phone number for your local board of elections, as well as national nonpartisan hotlines: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) for English and 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) for Spanish. Take a selfie wearing your Circles shirt while voting. Post to social media your pledge to vote and/or your Chapter’s commitments to these GOTV activities. Use hashtag #VoteforCircles and post your activities to social media.  SHARE –  Please send Courtney@circlesusa.org: one picture and a few sentences describing your GOTV activities, including how many people participated. CUSA will publicize your Chapter’s GOTV efforts on our social media and in our newsletters.  WIN –  Every Chapter that participates will be eligible for prizes: an e-copy of CUSA’s book, Bootstraps and Benefits: What the Right and Left Understand about Poverty and How We Can Work Together for Lasting Solutions; a discount to our online Hands-on Training; a discount to our 2021 virtual Leadership Conference; and a virtual Chapter visit from Circles USA’s executive director.

Building all three types of social capital requires diligence to support people through the four stages of any successful relationship. In the honeymoon phase, people have inspiring but unrealistic expectations based on some form of the Drama Triangle, e.g., I will be rescued, I will rescue, etc. The disillusionment stages occur as reality pushes back on these fantasies, and people start to feel disappointed when their expectations go unmet. The insight stage is the building of a more realistic and productive relationship. The working stage is the continued deepening and strengthening of the relationship over time, which leads to achieving mutual goals. Building a Productive and Appreciative Culture What allows people to move through the four stages of relationship building across socioeconomic class lines and achieve goals? Building a community culture that includes effective ground rules and rituals, which follow: Open meetings with New and Goods—personal good-news item that gets people thinking positively and sharing some parts of their life, which makes it easier for others to connect to them over time. Finish meetings with appreciations that acknowledge something positive about others and increases the sense of belonging and esteem of all members. Give everyone at least six mistakes a day so that they are willing to take risks to build new relationships without worrying about making mistakes. Normalize the inevitable stepping on each other’s hidden rules and help one another to forgive and forget. Learn more: Transformational Leadership: A Framework to End Poverty ~ By Scott C. Miller To learn more about Scott Miller, please see his website  here .

What is Your Story? If you want to predict your future, listen to your conversations. What story are you telling yourself and others? Are you taking yourself and others into the future you want—or the future you don’t want? Your vision must be connected to your deepest core values. If it is not, then you will not have the motivation and sustained energy to see a transformation through from beginning to end. Ask yourself, “What must happen in the next three years?” Ask it about your own life as well as about your community. Once you articulate a vision that is highly important to you, you are ready to translate it into stories that move others toward achieving the vision. We connect with one another emotionally, first, and then with information, second. Feed what you want to see happen with your story. Remember that a storyline that complains about how systems, people, events, community, and so on don’t work will only perpetuate a negative future. The power of self-fulfilling prophecy is real. Are you telling a story that leads to what you want or what you don’t want? In the spirit of being the change, it is helpful to ask the following questions: What in your life do you want to change so as to align to your new vision? Think about what we have discussed—people, activities, and your environment. What support do you need from others in order to make the change? Are you ready? On a 10-point scale where 10 represents the highest level of readiness, how ready and willing are you to change your life in ways that are most important to you? If you are not a 10, what is between you and being a 10? Now that you have identified the resistance, are you ready to let it go and take immediate action to begin your plan? What steps will you take this week? Learn more: Transformational Leadership: A Framework to End Poverty ~ By Scott C. Miller To learn more about Scott Miller, please see his website  here .

If you watch the “news,” it is easy to assume that humanity is devolving rather than moving forward in its evolution. To create a world that works for everyone, we need to plug our precious personal energy into solutions rather than the presentation of problems that passes as news in our mainstream culture. This requires seeking out information about what solutions are working, or could work, and determine how we can make our contribution. Ultimately if we are living a vibrant life, we generate positive energy to those around us. According to the brilliant, late statistics guru Hans Rosling, the world works for more people now than it ever has before, based on global health and economic data. If you regularly watch the news, you may find this hard to believe given that the media’s strategy is to focus on “breaking news” that constantly alarms us so we will keep tuning into their story line. Rosling’s Ted Talk entitled “The best stats you’ve ever seen” is both inspiring and informative. It is important to acknowledge the progress that we humans are making and to affirm that we can grow and develop. We can be certain that new economic and social systems are emerging as more people raise their consciousness and exercise their leadership in the world around them. Although it does not yet get mainstream media attention, there is massive ground-up and top-down leadership being brought to organizations, neighborhoods, communities, and nations throughout the globe by those who have clarity about what is at stake. These leaders have a vision for change, a plan to achieve it and enough support from others to bring their projects to fruition. More of us are looking for ways to make a significant contribution to creating a world that works for everyone. Your Heart is Calling is one of many new tools being offered to help us increase our personal impact on the world. From the book: Your Heart Is Calling ~ By Scott C. Miller To learn more about Scott Miller, please see his website  here .

What is true for each of us that no matter how great your life is and how large your contribution, there is even more potential awaiting us. By claiming the next chapter of your life as the one in which you listen even more attentively to your heart’s desire and act on it, you can have a bigger impact on the world. If you feel zest and joy as you anticipate undertaking your new plans, you know that you are on the right track. The world is about to become a better place because you are listening to and acting on what your heart is telling you to do. This book provides a structure to help you identify a bold vision and articulate the steps you need to take to bring it to reality. Developing your Heart is Calling Plan will help you identify and clarify what you need to do in each of the four seasons of the change process: Once you have completed your Heart is Calling Plan, you will have a powerful summary of your vision. You will begin to align the seeds of your vision with those of others as you seek out the allies and partners who will support your journey. You will align your time, environment, and schedule with the people and organizations that can most help you bring your vision into reality. You may choose to develop your own organization and help others to align their personal energies to it to achieve the vision. You will also develop a written learning agenda that you must tend to so that you and others can learn whatever is necessary to embed your transformation so that the world can harvest the results. Whatever we see to change in the world, we can be certain that there is something in our own lives that our heart wants us to explore, assess, and change. For example, through my early job experience in serving people who were struggling in poverty, I was struck by how often people seemed to be alone with their problems. I decided to set up support groups to help people move out of poverty as a response to the isolation I was seeing in them. I considered my own life and asked the question, “Where do I feel poverty and need more support?” I found parts of my life in which I felt isolated, alone, and unable to make the changes I wanted to make. Before I could contribute to any lasting change in the world, I had to commit to changing my own life. In other words, I had to become the change I wanted to see happen. Circles USA was the result of an intense soul-searching process that I had begun in the mid-90s. Circles® became the simple process of surrounding one’s self with people who will be your allies as you make an important change in your life, like moving out of poverty. I have, however, put the Circles methodology to use in numerous areas of my own life for the past twenty years. From the book: Your Heart Is Calling ~ By Scott C. Miller To learn more about Scott Miller, please see his website  here .

The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens. -Rainer Maria Rilke Moving through the Transformational Cycle is a natural process that each of us is always engaged in, whether we see it or not. Consciously and mindfully engaging in the cycle yields better and more profound results. We can use the metaphor of a garden and the four seasons to illustrate how the cycle operates. Winter: A vision emerges from within us while in the resting stage of winter. We articulate it during this quieter season. Spring: We look for fertile ground to plant the seeds of our vision with others. We align our lives to our new vision; preparing ourselves to tend to our transformational garden. Summer: We are now deeply involved with the nurturing of our garden; weeding out what we don’t want and watering what we do. We are learning from fellow gardeners and from our own trials and errors. Autumn: We persist and now harvest the fruits of our labor. We have embedded our vision into reality and the world has been changed. From the book: Your Heart Is Calling ~ By Scott C. Miller To learn more about Scott Miller, please see his website  here .

In order to carry a positive action, we must develop here a positive vision. -Dalai Lama Perhaps you have never taken the time to write down or record on video exactly how you want to live your life. It can be an immensely powerful and satisfying process. Your vision is your through-line to the future you want. When you articulate your vision in detail you will have an easier time recognizing and seizing opportunities to manifest it. You might think of it [sustainability] as extending the Golden Rule through time, so that you do unto future generations…as you would have them do unto you. -Robert Gilman Vision is informed by our soul’s primary purpose in being here. Each of us can tap into a deeper understanding about what we are to do next in life. When we are acting on our inner vision, it is normal to feel both anxious and excited at the same time; our awareness quickened by possibility. As we continue to affirm our vision and take steps towards it, we will feel more at ease, clearer about our purpose, and more confident in our ability to handle challenges. Enthusiasm and peace of mind are markers that assure us we are on the right path to fulfilling our unique calling. Whether we have articulated it or not, each of us has a personal vision for the world we want. If we take the time to articulate it, we can then choose to act on it and enjoy the benefits of living a purposeful life. Once we are able to share our vision in both a detailed one-hour presentation as well as in a two-three-minute elevator speech, we can then align ourselves with others who share our vision and are willing to join us in bringing it to fruition. Achieving the vision requires learning whatever is necessary to embed the change into the culture. From the book: Your Heart Is Calling  ~ By Scott C. Miller To learn more about Scott Miller, please see his website  here .

It’s stunning to me what kind of impact even one person can have if they have the right passion, perspective and are able to align the interest of a great team. -Steve Case I have led Circles USA through a series of multiple-year Transformational Cycles. Although I continue to lead Circles USA for now, I have an even deeper emerging vision of what must be transformed in the world: The world must experience a revolution that is as deep and powerful as the industrialrevolution was in shaping our collective behavior. At the center of this revolution will bepeople who embrace high ideals of what it is to be human: loving, caring, wise,respectful, peaceful, and happy. With these qualities, people can move mountains. Through Circles USA, I will continue to support our strategies to bring Circles to 10% of all US Counties (300), and equip them to support a reduction of poverty by at least 10% over a decade. However, I am also going to support transformational leaders within our Circles work and on other complementary agendas using the Your Heart is Calling Program. The emerging vision requires aligning myself with a team of allies who understand marketing, distribution, business plans, workshops, books, etc. This new calling requires me to update my conversation with current allies, and cultivate new allies who will support me in fulfilling my new vision. As we aspire to be the change we want to see happen in the world , we must identify and release internal resistance and procrastination patterns that will inevitably arise to protect the status quo. This may require letting go of our denial about the current conditions in the world and having enough courage to change what we can within our own lives to affect lasting change in the world around us. To effect meaningful changes on a larger stage, we must give ourselves an unusual amount of support . Whatever we want to change in the world will require an equal change within ourselves. It is natural that our inner resistance to change will come to the surface and generate a certain amount of fear, frustration, helplessness, and a sense of ennui. Below is a common delay pattern that most of us must confront one way or the other. The pattern will keep looping until we decide to interrupt it and choose another behavior. Rather than perpetually running this pattern through our minds and emotions, we can turn towards allies and begin talking about our vision with as much passion as possible. The more passion and enthusiasm we generate, the more energy we have available to pursue our vision. Taking action is what signals to ourselves, others, and life itself that we are serious about moving forward. From the book: Your Heart Is Calling ~ By Scott C. Miller To learn more about Scott Miller, please see his website  here .

It’s stunning to me what kind of impact even one person can have if they have the right passion, perspective and are able to align the interest of a great team. -Steve Case When Moses caught his vision of a promised land and then aligned the masses to join him, he had to lead them across the desert. Metaphorically, this story illustrates the four stages of the Transformational Map. The promised land is the vision, the followers of Moses aligned with his vision, the desert refers to the learning agenda required to achieve their vision, and the arrival at the promised land is the final stage when we embed the vision into the culture. Our worldview, skill sets, and life experiences will provide invaluable guidance and support, but the vision will demand personal learning from us. You have to ensure that those who are helping to achieve the vision are able to learn whatever is necessary to do so. Self-Reflection Questions ● What do you personally need to learn in order to realize your new vision? ● Specifically, what skills, information, and new habits must you learn in order to achieve your vision? ● In order for others to share your vision, what must they know? Interview others, and then craft a learning agenda for achieving your vision in the world. Learn more: Transformational Leadership: A Framework to End Poverty ~ By Scott C. Miller To learn more about Scott Miller, please see his website  here .