07 Oct #MakeTakeTalk

We can find ourselves feeling powerless in the face of some of the big issues facing us these days. 

I repeatedly find myself spiraling into a position where I question whether there is anything I could ever do that would make a difference. Over time, however, I have found myself gravitating towards a set of three verbs. These allow me to take back a little control in this state of despair. Make. Take. Talk. Pick one. Do it.

#MakeTakeTalk? What is that?

How do you solve a problem as wide as the world, as deep as the oceans? We feel futile, unable to make a difference relative to the scale of issues such as global poverty, education for all, easy access to medical care. 

To which my inside voice responds “You always have a choice. Do nothing. Or do something, however small. So, Karena, what is your smallest viable action? 

This chatty inner voice is what first inspired my action equation:

Make. Take. Talk.
No! Not “Make a tiktok” (though that might be the best option in the right hands.)

Make. Take. Talk.
Choose a verb. Move into action. It supports my motto “Tilt the Future in your favour.” Tilting requires that I change the vector, apply force, move out of the status quo. It asks me to make the choice – to do nothing or something. In the face of analysis paralysis, it gets me moving.

Make. Take. Talk.
Now I can chunk down the problem. I put my effort, however small, out into the universe. And then let go and lean into hope. Now it is up to fate.

Getting it to work

It was 2pm on the final day of the class. I had invested eleven weeks in study projects, videos and structured group zoom discussions. All that stood between me and the certificate was the personal capstone project. It was due by 5pm, and I was still staring at the blank sheet in front of me:

What is the “impossible” you dare to imagine as “possible”?
What is the story about the future or an alternate reality your manifesto will tell?
What will help you sustain and thrive throughout this work?

Not a small ask. I had placed no boundaries around my vision for the future. I found myself getting overwhelmed. I was still struggling to find words to wrap around the challenge that is climate, the opportunities we must step into quickly around re-skilling our current and future workforce across the globe for the new shape of work. But I wanted to highlight hope rather than despair.

I felt small. Insignificant. Invisible. Ineffectual. Again inadequate to the task.

In the face of challenges as big and unwieldy as these, who was I? I am only one person in a world of 7.8 billion. What could I do? I was no closer to my big idea or great saving plan.

“Well, if I am going to fail anyway, I might as well get these feelings down on paper,” I thought to myself.

“#MakeTakeTalk, girl. Better get cracking.”

I opened my laptop, chose the verb ‘talk’ and started ranting. My emotions were raw as they poured out. I didn’t wordsmith or censor my feelings. I threw it into a video about how miniscule I felt and titled it “I am a dot”.

At 4:11pm, mentally exhausted and physically spent, I recorded my manifesto “I believe”. With minutes to spare I hit send and shut down my machine. 

“This is as good as it’s going to get. Now let the chips fall where they may.” 

Make. Take. Talk.

We cannot fix it all – whether our problem is big or small. But we can often take a small step to get into action: 

Make:  a commitment. Make a video. Or make a cake.
Take: action. Ask after a co-worker. Take a class to learn more. Forward a post.
Talk:  about the issue. Call a friend or a family member. Talk about your ideas. 

The mix and match possibilities become endless. In fact, I have begun to merge the verbs into the hashtag #MakeTakeTalk you will often see as a call to action at the bottom of many of my posts. Consider it shorthand for “The ball is now in your court. Pick one, any one, of the three verbs. And do it.” 

Can a small action make a difference?

So what happened to that capstone project? I woke the next morning to a flurry of classroom DMs:

• “I am a journalist – can we talk?”
• “We’d like to use your “I am a dot“ video for our marketing material.”
• “Can I use your part II “I believe“ as a challenge for my Engineering students?”

It turns out that doing a little something was better than nothing. I had hit a nerve of helplessness that many others had also been feeling. Via the manifesto, however, they touched a little of their own faith, and got ready to re-engage.

Rediscover hope

In taking action, we regain our agency. We tilt the future in our favour. Now we position ourselves in the path of serendipity. We take back our power, moving the impossible towards faintly possible.
And that is where we rediscover our hope. 

#MakeTakeTalk

You know what I’m going to invite you to do now, right?!

Take something that has been bothering you, and #MakeTakeTalk – do the smallest something.

Thanks to