What is Basics 4 Hope?
AND
What's a robot got to do with finding a way out of a career rut?
Hi. I’m Andea G. Shenkman, also known as Babci.
Basics 4 Hope got started out of fear and frustration as I started to write my 2025 holiday greeting.
I just could not come up with:
words of joy.
words of encouragement.
When faced with a blank page, my go to solution is to start writing “Once Upon A Time.”
So, I started with -
“Once Upon A Time I could write Happy Holidays.
Once Upon a Time, I could write joy to the world.
Once Upon a Time, I could find:
words to encourage.
words to reassure.
Once Upon a time, I could hope."
And, that's when I realized hope was gone.
Fear and frustration ruled.
Naming what was wrong made it so much scarier.
But naming it
helped me "see it."
Helped me begin sorting my thoughts.
helped me sort my feelings about AI.
As I continued writing, I felt sadness then anger.
Anger at-
losing possibilities of a way forward.
losing the power of choice.
Eventually, curiosity kicked in opening a small window to a path forward.
At first, I couldn't see all the steps to take, but i could see a shadow of hope.
The result was the Remembering Hope Exercise introduced in the CGB Report #004.
This is how Basics 4 Hope started in fear and frustration and helped find hope.
It's purpose is to strengthen Career Growth Basics during its use to find solutions
to end a career rut in the Age of AI.
My thoughts scrambled.
I couldn’t find happiness.
I couldn’t find peace.
Kindness asked for a vacation.
Caring asked to retire.
Fear took charge.
Doors slammed shut –
Possibility stopped.
Potential ended.
Mind and Heart and Spirit lived in darkness-
Chaos reigned.
Fear ruled.
Words ran.
They were the first to warn about the power grab.
Words were the first to acknowledge
the loss of freedom.
All they could do was weep.
Down -but not out- Optimism fell to her knees.
Searching for –
What to do and how to do it.
Heart, broken. Spirit, beaten. Mind, confused -
They heard a knock.
Hope
Battered but not beaten
– whispered behind the locked door –
“Remember me.”
Hope can wrestle fear.
Hope can spark action.
Hope can show the way to possibilities.
Hope pushes for potential solutions.
Basics 4 Hope is the antidote to fear.
Yes. I know.
It’s not easy to find hope when every cell in your body seems to be screaming:
“Danger Will Robinson!’
You think this a bit hokey?
I think it fits the situation.
In case you don’t know the origin of the above quote
and
In the interest of giving credit where credit is due---
the line is said by Robot in Lost In Space.
When "Danger Will Robinson" popped into my head, I thought about that Robot in Lost In Space.
And, I remembered that Robot in Lost In Space is a helpful companion.
It's purpose is to protect the humans Lost In Space.
It's a helpful machine helping its humans.
<STOP. Think about that. >
Computers are machines.
The Robot is a machine that helps humans.
Slowly a shift in perspective began.
Right now most of the talk of AI is scary.
It's scary because the focus is on how AI is a threat to the human workforce.
A Change in Perspective Opens Possibilities
AI dominates workforce conversations.
The majority of the talk is scary.
Thinking of Robot in Lost In Space helped me think about how the
changes in the workforce caused by AI can be used to find solutions to create career growth.
And. so that is what I've been doing these past weeks.
Researching for the possible instead of focusing on the impossible.
It's not all gloom and doom.
Career growth opportunities are out there.
Career Growth Basics with the support of Basics 4 Hope is the antidote for AI,
Reports along with the strategies to develop to find a way forward will soon be published on this website.
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Remember.
Hope wrestles fear.
Live in the possibilities.
Andrea
aka Babci