I’m fresh back from Goodfest in Cornwall, an annual gathering of passionate folk for time to connect with each other and nature, collect our thoughts, ponder our dreams, reflect on how we show up in the world to make a difference, reframe our direction, and inspire action. And you couldn’t ask for a better setting than the Bedruthan Hotel in Mawgan Porth, overlooking the Atlantic from Cornwall’s rugged coastline. To say we had changeable weather would be an understatement, but it was just the place and time to instil awe and respect for nature, at times blowing out the cobwebs, at others bathing you in sunlight.
When I arrived, I felt excited at the opportunity to meet new people who are using their business as a force for good, and several others who I’d only previously known as pixels on a screen. But I also felt guilty at taking time away from my busy family, my busy business, and the bits of work I had on my mind.
It’s clear from what climate activist Clover Hogan said in her moving Q&A session that many are feeling a sense of overwhelm due to the various crises the world is facing, as well as guilt at needing to take even a day off from work that we feel is not just meaningful, but of vital importance. We must learn to give ourselves permission to take care of ourselves as well as this shared planet of ours.
Overall, I think the words serendipity and connection best summarise this year’s Goodfest for me, with so many shared connections and life experiences. I want to share one instance of serendipity that helped me to reset.
I’m currently reading Slow Productivity by Cal Newport, a book that presents a philosophy for work that sets foundations for taking meaningful action at a sustainable pace. It echoes sentiments from the last book I read – Stolen Focus by Johann Hari – which suggests that today’s frantic pace in an always-connected world has been wreaking havoc with our individual and collective attention. The books discuss our inflated sense of obligation and expectation, our focus on quantity over quality, the myth of multitasking, our lost art of play, our deteriorating sense of trust, and the effect these may be having on our ability to solve problems and to come together to solve the complex crises we are facing.
It was on the night before Goodfest started that I read Slow Productivity where the author quotes Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Slow Food movement:
“I came to understand that those who suffer for others do more damage to humanity than those who enjoy themselves. Pleasure is a way of being at one with yourself and others.”
I immediately felt a weight lifted, and gave myself permission to embrace the two days of the festival to just listen and be.
The festival’s talks provided inspiration and comfort in the knowledge that you’re not alone in your thinking, and a good menu of workshops allowed you to choose how to dig a bit deeper in a way that suited you, while other activities made space for grounding relaxation, breaking bread with kin, and even a little revelry.
Here’s a summary of the themes and thoughts that resonated with me most during my time there, which I’ll be carrying with me over the coming months:
- Dream big; act now – the festival’s overarching theme – be audacious in your action
- Interdependence and interconnectedness; collaboration and compassion; serendipity is a beautiful and emotive power; we are an empathic civilisation and need to bring about the Symbiocene
- We can all feel overwhelm, and we must not feel guilt for needing to prioritise self-care
- Our collective sense of perceived value needs adjustment
- Our idea of “enough” should be more important to us than excess
- Our sense of achievement often needs reframing
- Our individual and collective attention spans are shortening, affecting our creativity and ability to solve problems
- By making things better for all not the few we lift the floor as well as the ceiling
- Nasty things capitalise on our attention and our apathy
- Consider your minimum viable influence: who do we need to reach, and what do we need them to do?
- Fall in love with problems, not solutions
- Consider the “four agreements”
- Be impeccable with your word
- Don’t take anything personally
- Don’t make assumptions
- Always do your best
I left Goodfest feeling reflective, but also truly moved, and frankly, a bit overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the tasks in front of us, but more importantly, I think, by the support and passion unlocked through this wonderful community and the incredible, giving people in it.
As I took a walk on Mawgan Porth beach after the event, I took time to pause with my thoughts, and take some photos. I took this one of a little waterfall pouring water from the cliffs down to join other streams to form a larger flow of water down the beach to join the sea – the Goodfest waterfall sending out little drops of action to join forces and form the waves of collective action.
And as I walked off Mawgan Porth beach, my mind settled on one thought…
“Isn’t nature wonderful?”
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