Since writing about the concept of heaven on earth in my column a couple of weeks ago I have discovered that there is a whole network of people all over the globe who also subscribe to this school of thought.

Thanks to the tireless work of Martin Rutte, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work and author of Project Heaven on Earth, it is now quite possible for anyone who has a burning desire to launch a project for the betterment of mankind to find support and a framework to guide their development.

I have been fortunate to chat with Martin a couple of times and he has graciously agreed to allow me to interview him regarding Project Heaven on Earth as part of my company’s ongoing Ozone video series.

In a fascinating conversation in which he shares his thoughts regarding the nature of heaven, our conversation wandered into a discussion regarding the various types of things that hold people back from experiencing this reality – a form of blockage that Martin terms a “keystone”.

This analogy really resonates with me because, as any stone mason will tell you, a keystone is the central stone at the summit of an arch which locks all other stones in place, meaning that if you remove the keystone then all the stones beneath it will fall away.

It begs the question: If you were being really truthful with yourself what is the “keystone” in your own personal life that is supporting the challenges that you are currently experiencing and preventing you from experiencing the best that life can be?

While I concede that in complex situations there may well be physical circumstances that are at least partially beyond an individual’s control, I would submit that – for the most part – the keystone is simply a fear of change (or fear of the unknown, or of a loss of control). Such fear is concealed inside what I would term "the tyranny of thought" – the self-imposed suffering that we inflict on ourselves every time we allow ourselves to complete any sentence that begins with "I can't because …"

For me, the simple word "can't" is the keystone supporting all of the problems and suffering throughout the world. Remove this one word from your vocabulary and all the problems fall away.

No, maybe you “can’t” solve world hunger or the climate crisis, or put an end to war all by yourself – but nor do you need to. All you need to do is work to alleviate these and other problems in your life and be open to the idea of assisting in a larger capacity (be that on a local, regional, national, or international level) if or when the opportunity arises.

In short, all each of us needs to do is make focusing on what we “can” do in any given situation the cornerstone of our thinking – because there is always something you can do if you really put your mind to it – and be open to the notion that if you seek solutions that will help yourself and your fellow man at the same time, they will present themselves.

Robin Trimingham is the managing director of The Olderhood Group Ltd and a business consultant, journalist, podcaster and thought leader in the fields of life transition and change management. Connect with Robin at https://bit.ly/3nSMlvc or robin@olderhood.com