If You Want To Change The World, Do This

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi

We all know that quote, well, I believe most of us do. But what are we doing about it? Making sweet memes with it and posting it on social media pages? Or going out in the world and doing something about it? Most likely, the former.

If you truly want to change the world, it takes action, not reaction. And it starts with individuals, you and me. This article, in and of itself, isn’t going to change the world, but it may give you ideas on how you can do things to change your little corner of it.

1. Be Authentic
   This is something that I feel should be inherent, but isn’t for some reason. More and more, I am seeing a trend of plastic all over social media. I understand that people don’t want to share their lows on a daily basis. No need to air dirty laundry and such. But being authentic doesn’t mean that you have to bemoan your existence and whine about every little thing. Being authentic means being true to yourself, being honest, and quite truthfully, letting your imperfections shine through every once in awhile. If you’ve had shit day, talk about it. Show what you learned from it, the life lesson if you will, and move forward. That’s authenticity. Authenticity also means not falling into the status quo. Don’t censor yourself just because you think that’s what everyone else is doing. If you say fuck a lot, then write it! I’m not telling you to curse like a sailor, just be yourself. You’re the only version of you that exists, OWN IT.
2. No one is perfect
   And anyone who claims to be, is lying their ass off. I don’t give a fuck if they’ve been practicing meditation, zen, reiki healing, getting massages daily for year, and all their chakras are perfectly aligned. Guess what? They just feel really good, they still aren’t perfect. Stop trying to achieve perfection and just do whatever it is that you do best. All the so called perfect selfies and copywritten bios in the world will never be as authentic as a person who writes, works, or creates from the heart.
3. Be Vulnerable
   Following being authentic and not being perfect…being vulnerable is one of the best things anyone can do, especially as a writer. People want to know that they are not alone in this world. They want to know that the things they feel on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis are not weird, fucked up, only happening to them. Last week, I woke up and literally from the moment my feet hit the floor, something went wrong. I got hung up in my sheet and tripped out of bed. Great, it was going to be THAT kind of day. And boy was it. I burnt breakfast. I fucked up my husband’s lunch (I somehow put the bread together wrong and he got double mustard and double mayo, oops), I forgot to put the coffee grounds in, so I got hot water instead of coffee. All before 0700. I went back to bed. I needed a restart. I slept until 1200. Fuck. I lost the entire morning because I had a crap morning. So I had to run around like a chicken with my head cut off for the rest of the afternoon in an attempt to make up for 5 hours I buried my head in the sand. I had four hours to do 9 hours of work. I didn’t accomplish anything worth talking about.
4. Use Things, Not People
   People are important, things are not. Things rot, take up space, energy, and money. Sure, money is important, to an extent. We do need it to live, but it is not the be all end all. People, however, are here to support us, to listen to us when we need feedback, to help us realize our dreams. Be a giver, not a taker. Surround yourself with other givers, and watch how amazing things happen. I used to be surrounded by takers, and I felt like I was living in a vacuum. I gave constantly, and could literally feel the life being sucked out of me. I almost allowed myself to become jaded, but luckily, pulled myself out of that shit cycle before it happened. Now, I refuse to allow such negativity into my life, and surround myself with people who give of themselves just as freely as I do. I am constantly offering whatever I have to give to people. My skillset, my time, my ear. It’s not about giving financially all the time. I am not in a position to do that yet. But we all have time to give, even just a little.

If we want to change things, we have to start with ourselves. We will benefit exponentially, and so will the world. Be well and be good to one another. If you liked this article, give it a clap or 50 ❤