For the last few months, I have had two pairs of words written on my whiteboard:
- Hope & possibility
- Growth & transformation
Those four words are my guideposts for what I want to focus on in my life, both personally and professionally.
Last night, as I watched the election results, I was struck by how relevant those four words are for us as a society as well. Barack Obama has inspired millions with his message of hope and positive change. Now, as we turn our attention to what that hope might bring, it’s time to start building a bridge between that inspiration and the real world.
“We can what?”
The well-known catch phrase of Obama’s campaign is, “Yes we can!” Whether you’re an Obama supporter or not, I want to plant the follow-up question to that… “We can what?”
Today, as you turn your eyes to the future, ask yourself, “What can I do? How can I have a positive impact on the world? How can I make the world a better place? How can I make my world/country/city/neighborhood/home (take your pick) a better place to live? How can I plant the seeds for a better tomorrow?”
In short, how can you start building the bridge from hope & possibility to growth & transformation?
Change is up to you
Do you want real change? It’s not going to come from a politician. Politicians can help the process, to be sure, but real change happens when each of us steps up and says, “Yes, I can.” And more importantly, “Yes, I WILL.”
Every day when you get out of bed in the morning, remind yourself that you have the potential to make the world a better place by the time you go to bed.
It doesn’t have to be big and dramatic. It doesn’t have to be covered by the nightly news. It might be something as simple as remembering to tell your children you believe in them, or stopping and having a real conversation with a homeless person rather than hurrying on by and pretending they’re not there.
It might be stepping up and volunteering for a cause you care about. Or you might take it a step further and create something yourself.
It might mean getting involved in the political process in your community. That could be something as simple as regularly letting your elected officials at all levels know what you think, or as involved as running for office yourself.
Whatever that positive change looks like, one thing is sure. It’s NOT going to come if we all sit and wait for someone else to do it. It’s not going to come from waiting for our politicians to come riding in and wave a magic wand. It happens one step at a time, one person at a time.
What will you do? How will you be the change?
Questions to ponder
Here are some questions to help prime the pump as you explore the potential for positive change...
- What difference do I want to make?
- Who do I want to help?
- How am I well-positioned to help (what skills, resources, etc. do I have)?
- What volunteer opportunities do I have?
- What choices am I making? How do they affect my family? My community? The environment? Others?
- If I had to pick a positive change theme for my life, what would it be? What would I focus on?
- What legacy do I want to leave?
- How do my interactions with others affect them?
- What am I ignoring that needs attention?
- What values do I want to live? How do I act if I’m living my values? What choices do I make?
- What small step can I take today?
The bridge from hope & possibility to growth & transformation is built one plank at a time.
And it is built by you.
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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst
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