This is ZERO #3
"Type A" mindfulness moments, Climate finance updates, and a Zen Buddhist parable
Good morning and welcome back to ZERO — the newsletter about climate finance and entrepreneurship, as well as self development and productivity, with the slightest bit of humor.
In a 5-minute skim, my goal is to give you at least 1 useful nugget to help you keep fighting the good fight.
Word of mouth.
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Our monthly Climate Change Investment Brief.
These provide a 15-minute scan that tells you what's happening with climate finance over the last 30 days or so — 16 pages of bullets, covering 20 investments (seed, VC, PC, projects), 3 investor profiles, 3 new funds, and 8 headlines worth skimming.
July issue
Tools I’m playing with.
"Type A" Mindfulness Moments — Much to the delight (derision?) of my three kids, I have set alarms to go off on my phone every two hours throughout the day. They remind me to stop (ugh, another email), breath (nice and deep), and be thankful for something (our 9-year-old's new yoga lessons for $1 each, but luckily, the first class is free).
Ikigai — I have the privilege of talking to lots of awesome folks, both emerging professionals and career changers, who are trying to figure out how to apply their skills and passion in the climate change sector. This Japanese tool can be a great visual for aligning (1) what you're good at, (2) what you love, (3) what the world needs, and (4) what you can get paid for. Here's a good Forbes article on it.
Wim Hof Breathing — They call him "Ice Man," and his tool involves techniques for deep breathing, combined with ice cold water therapy. Through his practices, he has been able to accomplish incredible feats: He's set the world record for longest time submerged in ice, two hours without dropping his core temperature. He's run a marathon in the desert without drinking any water. And he's climbed Mount Everest just wearing shorts. Here's a video about him.
Time Management: A Buddhist parable.
Zen monk - "You should meditate 30 minutes per day to attain calm, confidence, and clarity."
Busy executive - "I'm too busy for that."
Zen monk - "OK. I understand. In that case, you need to meditate 60 minutes per day."
I'm sure you can relate. We're all too busy.
The question is this: What can we drop, deprioritize, delegate, or automate in order to make time for what matters most?
Free ebook.
I published this in the early days of COVID. Maybe it's something to inspire you or your team this week. It's a 15-minute skim, with bullets on contrarian thinking, quotes from bold leaders, investment resources, tips on health and productivity, and calls to action (now, not later).
40+ Actionable Tips: How Impact Entrepreneurs Become Great Leaders During Times of Crisis
Quotes and statistics to ponder.
"Change happens at the pace of trust." — Source unknown, but thanks to Erik Lensch for the mention
“It's easier to put on a pair of shoes than to wrap the earth in leather.” That is, instead of asking everyone and everything to change, perhaps focus on your perceptions and actions instead. ― Chogyam Trungpa, Tibetan Buddhist master
Nikola, an electric truck startup, recently went public, with a market cap temporarily surpassing that of Ford, and making its founder a billionaire, yet it has not produced any vehicles.
BP recently pledged to cut oil and gas production 40% by 2030, and by then ramp to $5B of investment per year in clean energy. Great, but is it enough?
What is a Climate Mastermind, and is it for you?
Below is a summary of my latest (ad)venture.
Just five spots left. If you're interested in learning more, sign up here.
It's going to be life changing for all of us.
Wrapping up.
If you have feedback on how ZERO can be more useful to you, please email me. What do you want to see more of? Less of?
If you like ZERO, please consider forwarding this to one friend today.
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Onward and upward.
Chris
P.S. If you’re curious about where the name ZERO comes from, check it out here.
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Dr. Chris Wedding
Entrepreneurs for Impact, Founder
Executive Masterminds for entrepreneurs and investors growing businesses to tackle climate change
Invite-only peer groups. Executive coaching. Investor data. Leadership development.
(919) 274-7988
P.S. Why the name ZERO?
I plan to write about, and hopefully inspire, the following:
ZERO greenhouse gas emissions
ZERO species extinction
ZERO pollution
ZERO sacrifice in long-term financial returns from doing the right thing
ZERO distractions from what’s most important
ZERO inefficiency
ZERO racial and gender inequity
ZERO apathy and inaction
Are these goals realistic? Probably not.
Are they worth striving for? Yep.