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We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.
J.K. Rowling
You may have been surprised reading this title: How To Change The World?
Sounds bizarre….
However, in my opinion, you alone can contribute a lot to changing this world. And when I say, ‘change the world’, I do not mean you invent or start a company that transforms the world. What I mean by change is the positive outcome that you bring from your actions in the world.
Here are 5 Easy Steps which you can take to Change the World:
#1. Start With Changing Yourself:
No one changes the world who isn’t obsessed.
Billie Jean King
Changing the world starts with you. If you broadly a pessimist or negative person, you will have to change your attitudes and ways before you can go and change the world.
I have seen this myself in politics. We vote with good intention our political leaders to spread good and do good to the society. Most of them on the other hand are down right corrupt and vile. How on earth are they going to change the world?
In the same way, if you are not true to yourself, how can you be true to this world. Your behaviors and actions are a result of who you really are deep within. How you do anything is how you do everything. Or you’re just faking it.
And people have developed keen sense to recognise fraud these days.
Changing yourself takes some effort. And you changes need not be drastic; it can be slow and gradual. I once had quite negative outlook on life and viewed the world from the lens of negativity. All I saw was negative things around. My inclination was to look for negative side of things. I thought this is the way I am made and that nothing could change me.
But a chance occuring and self realization helped me climb over the mountain of negativity.
How did I transform myself?
- I started with specific goals
- I signed up for courses on personal development
- I watched positive media (YouTube and Twitter)
- I started writing journal
- I started helping others without any any expectation
- I read a lot of good books
The change in you will not be immediate. It will be gradual. Only requirement for this is that you are consistent and that you persist with your goals / missions.
#2. Spread Positivity:
You can make things happen. You’re in control of change.
Dyllan McGee
This is so easy to say but so much tough to practise. I know this. Because on many occasions, I would like to remain positive, but I the reality is different.
The few days back, I read a motivational post on Instagram:
By the end of the day I had forgotten about this. By evening I was thinking about a friend who had turned away from helping me a year back and I was thinking that he should have the worst life. I immediately realized where I was going and sought to forget that episode.
It is really tough to remain positive when all you are surrounded by negativity.
Spreading positivity in this world is a gift that you will give yourself. No one asked Mother Teresa to go to India and care for the lepers and poor people. Her only motive was to spread love and positivity. Now we admire her for her contribution. And look at the way she has changed the world!!
You do not need to be doing anything similar.
I get calls and emails from people who are looking for jobs in Dubai. The least I can do is call them and ask about their situation and status. While I can not offer them jobs, I make sure that they have someone to talk to.
How to spread positivity?
- Be kind to strangers
- Don’t judge anyone
- Genuinely help others
- Talk to someone who might need your help
#3. Teach and Learn Good Stuff:
Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.
Malala yousafzai
Everyone is a teacher in their lives. Parents teach their kids, teachers teach their kids, manager teaches subordinates, colleagues teach each other. I mean, there are plenty of ways you can teach others.
As a parent I always try to teach my kids about respecting people and cultures. It would be a worst day for me when I see my kids talking or doing ill to other people. I teach my kids not to be judgmental.
Whenever you have an opportunity of teaching someone, make sure you teach good stuff. Teach someone to write, teach someone to blog, teach someone what you learnt in school/college, teach what you learnt at work.
In the same way, when you get a chance to learn something new, learn gracefully. For me learning means a lot. I learn daily by reading, through online courses, from my friends, colleagues and so on.
The world needs more people who can teach. Be a teacher. It can be any subject, any knowledge. One of the areas I see a great learning and teaching environment is cross-cultural. There is always a need for people to exchange ideas.
How to learn / teach?
- Enroll for an online course
- Read books that interest you
- Learn about new technologies
- Learn about how things work
- Learn about new cultures and languages
#4. Lift People Up:
The greatest danger to our future is apathy.
jane goodall
I used get pleasure out of proving people wrong. It did not matter who!! I have done this to my parents, relatives, co-workers, friends. I used to be uneasy and anxious most of the time. I realised much later that my problems stemmed due my habit of putting people down.
I got so many opportunities to lift people up. But I squandered those. I regret the times when I put my parents to shame.
My epiphany came when someone else started doing this same thing to me. I felt very bad after that. I pondered on how people who I put down would have felt.
Life gives you many opportunities to lift people up:
- Is someone looking for a job? How can you help?
- Is someone looking for help with sorting out their life?
- Is someone you know undergoing depression?
- Is someone you know undergoing financial crisis?
- Has anyone you know been cheated?
Help bring people up from their life. This is the noblest deed you can do. If you start with people you know and help them, lift them up, the world will be a better place to live.
#5. Put Others Before You:
I remember JF Kennedy saying:
Think not what your country has done for you. But think about what you have done for your country.
The world has very few people who are unselfish.
If everyone thought the way JFK thought, the world will be a great place to live. But unfortunately, the reality is different. We all are selfish in some way. We always put us before others although we have enough.
I am not trying to act like a saint here. I have also had opportunities to be less selfish in my life. But chose to be selfish. I am trying my best to put others before me if they truly deserved the opportunity.
And it does not have to be a great thing. It could be as simple as:
- Opening the door for somebody
- Letting someone else park ahead of you
- Sharing a meal with your friend or colleague
- Letting someone else use the coffee machine
- Offering to pay for the meal
- Donate regularly (clothes, food, money)
Small sacrifices result in great results.
The world needs less selfish people. The world needs more people who are growth-oriented of society as a whole. The more people we have who:
- Start changing themselves from negative to positive
- Spread positivity
- Teach and learn good stuff
- Lift others up
- Put others before themselves
…will change the world. Literally. And it is the actions of each and everyone of us that will change the world. We need to start small and start now.
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