Listening

Friends,

Each December, at Coalfield Development, we gather for a year-end retreat. We reflect on the year’s events and set goals for the year to come which includes the setting of an intention. Last year, our intention was HISTORY: Healing Into Sustainable, Transformational Opportunity and Reclaiming Yourself.

In 2023, we’ll focus on LISTENING: Leaning Into Sustainable Transformations Energizing New Innovations and New Growth.

As we begin implementing our Build Back Better Regional Challenge funds, we know we’re in for a big year. Environmental sustainability remains a primary focus. And we’re determined to innovate and energize at a greater scale than ever before.

We also recognize that in growing our impact-and even in making history-we never want to grow so fast that we fail at listening intently throughout our communities. In times of such division and anxiety we feel genuine listening is more important than ever.

So, we’ll be spending more time in community engagement and community conversation than ever before.

And we will intentionally create space for differing viewpoints and expression. All the while, we will challenge ourselves to listen to our owns hearts and minds so we can tap our deepest sources of inspiration.

We can listen to history, as we’ve done with 2022’s theme and we can listen to our communities to understand the needs of the people living within them. Lastly, but certainly not least, we can listen to ourselves. What are our needs vs. wants? What are healthy choices vs. harmful ones. What do we really care about?

Friends, family, and community can help uplift us and give us the support we need, but if we are not listening intently to ourselves, we cannot realize our full potential or find our unique purpose in this world.

So, join us in 2023 as we listen.