A man once wrote that if he ever worked at Starbucks, instead of writing people’s names on their coffee cup, he’d write this: “One day, you and everyone you love will die. And beyond a small group for an extremely brief period of time, little of what you do or say will ever matter. We are inconsequential cosmic dust, bumping and milling about on a tiny blue speck. We imagine our own importance. We invent our own purpose. We are nothing. Enjoy your f**king coffee.”*

We live in a world where everything is so messed up and upside down, sometimes I wonder how we get through each day. At every turn, greed seems to drive decisions over genuine love and care. We’ve got political leaders handing out huge tax subsidies to rich, private corporations while the rest of us get fined for being a few minutes late to our parking meter. We’ve got glyphosate, a probable carcinogen still being used on footpaths and near playgrounds while those employed to spray it are wearing protective gear. We’ve got companies pillaging and polluting our oceans, making money off tortured fish which are then promoted as dolphin friendly to trick us into feeling good about buying them. We’re encouraged to eat healthily, but additives and chemicals are commonplace in food products that are cheaper than nutritious fruit and vegetables grown in a humble garden.

We’ve got mass destruction of forests – the literal life-giving resources we need to survive – but we ignore and even punish those who are working hard to preserve and protect them. We’re unable to gain much needed medical and mental health services while millions are poured into making hospitals look better. Our schooling system focuses on conformity over compassion, only to churn young, brilliant minds into adults who are more anxious and depressed than ever before.

Globally, it goes on. We’ve got wars in which innocent people are stripped of their rights or killed. We’ve got a seemingly endless uncovering of child sexual abuse. Then there’s drug and alcohol addiction at its highest, natural disasters wreaking havoc, starvation, an unprecedented rise in loneliness, and of course, the ongoing ramifications of a pandemic.

The hopelessness can be overwhelming. What are we meant to do when the enormity of suffering and injustice feels incomprehensible? How are we to reconcile the devastation that goes on in the world when it can feel like we’re drowning in a sea of bad news and constant uncertainty?

It’s important to talk about these things. Find someone you’re comfortable with, be it a friend, partner or professional and reach out. Remember, it’s normal and okay to experience a sense of despair at times, but connecting with others is a powerful antidote in realising we are not alone in our suffering. But for now, my coffee lid message for you is this: “While you may feel as though your actions to better the world are insignificant, they matter. You matter. Your intention to keep fighting the good fight, whatever that looks like for you, creates the very ripple effect that contributes to a wave of change needed in the world right now. It’s never been your job to save the world. Your role is to keep working on yourself, from a place of kindness, so that you can be the change you wish to keep seeing more of. This is how we build hope. This is how we create more light. This is how we make a difference. And cosmic dust or not, your time here is the furthest thing from being inconsequential. Because whatever you believe about your existence, scientifically your presence has an impact on all that you encounter. Like the Butterfly Effect, you have the force to create seismic shifts. Some days, that will be clear and purposeful. Others, it may all be too much. Good. Feel those things. Feel it all. Because the opposite of happiness isn’t anger or sadness, it’s apathy. It’s indifference. It’s resigning from action. Choose action my friend. Enjoy your delicious coffee and go make your next move as though you’re 100% intent on more love and kindness for yourself and others.” *Everything is F**cked: A Book About Hope, by Mark Manson

If you’re curious about Mindset Coaching, visit remindyourself.com or contact Annia, Clinical Psychologist and Mindset Coach on 0402 448 278.

The desire to conform is often strong enough to override personal values and perceptions, prompting individu­als to do and even think things that go against their natural beliefs. Solomon Asch’s conformity experiments in the 1950s highlighted how ‘Groupthink’ (faulty or irrational decision making due to an exaggerated desire for cohesion) could lead to detrimen­tal outcomes. Social psychologist Irving Janis pointed out that having an impartial leader who encourages debate, appoints a devil’s advocate or consults with people outside the group can avoid bad decisions that can end up being unanimously endorsed.”