Be The Change

Be the change you wish to see in the world – Gandhi

Long ago I realized you can’t change the whole world at one time. In fact, it is even difficult to impact a small part of the world. However, there is one thing that we all have the power to change. That one thing is ourselves.

This is probably why people make New Year resolutions. They want to exercise their power to change. Yet they typically don’t put a lot of thought into a resolution and they usually don’t think about how hard it is to change. Yes we have the power to change. But change is difficult. It is a process and it takes a commitment. The reality is that even if we have the will power to change we will likely still fall and make mistakes. The key is to keep working on change and keep moving forward realizing that it will be difficult and that there will be those that are not cheering for us along the way.

Did you ever make a resolution to lose weight? Maybe you buy a membership to the gym and you start out the year going to yoga and walking on your in home treadmill. But the first couple of weeks go by and you miss a class, and then you get knocked off schedule by a trip out of town. Soon you are snacking at midnight and there is someone right there to point it out and call you a hypocrite. Now the choice of change is really upon you. This is where the rubber meets the road. Are you going to quit and let them be right? Or are you going to persevere?

All goals require planning. Set yourself up for success. Put the patterns into place and then follow through. If you are a salesperson and you have a goal to make more money this is not rocket science. You simply must either make more appointments or increase the amount that you are selling in the appointments that you have. So book the calendar and make a plan. When you fall off the wagon, get back up and start again. Real change takes real perseverance.

If you think the world needs to be a greener place then focus on being greener. Be the example you want others to follow. If you think people should be bigger givers, then you become a bigger giver. If you don’t have anything to give, there is a nice Scripture to learn. It says to sell something so you can give. That is a great lesson for those who think sales is a bad vocation. J  Make more money to give more away. That is better than pointing the finger at those who make more money than you do and demand that they give more. Be the example.

Whatever you think the world needs… become that…

I met a business coach recently who was bemoaning the fact that many people do not realize they need her services. Really she is a mentor looking for people who want to be mentored. So I asked her who was mentoring her? She did not have a mentor and did not see the need for one. 

Interesting… She does not believe in her own vocation. Sad, she does not realize that if one wants to be the best mentor they must have great mentors to learn from. That is not something you are going to get from a book.

Whatever you think that the world needs… become that…

Recreate yourself in 2013

I know that I will…

Kerry George