Be the change you wish to see in the world!

“We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, and the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change.” ― Katharine Hepburn,

“Be the change you wish to see in the world"

Focus on changing yourself and being the change you wish – and soon we can begin to look at the bigger picture

 and solve the world’s challenges. “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. This is possibly Gandhi’s most famous phrase, whom Churchill described as the ‘Naked Fakir” and it tells us that before we can go and change the world, we have to change ourselves. From the being, comes the doing and ultimately the having. Focus on changing yourself and being the change you wish – and soon we can begin to look at the bigger picture and solve the world’s challenges. The point is that before you can get anyone to take on your own teachings; you have to apply them to your own life. There are various phrases to reflect this message such as “practice what you preach” and “walk the talk”.

We could see there is a vast disparity in the world between the rich and the poor. We could see how the world’s resources were being pilloried to satisfy the excessive demands of the West and the developed countries whilst most people in the rest of the world are barely surviving. The way we are all living in the West and elsewhere, there is not even enough for everyone’s needs. How true it is when Gandhi said, “There is enough in the world for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed”. 

It is now that we should reflect on this. The time has come when we cannot just rely on others – each one of us has to do our bit to bring about the change. Increasingly, more and more people and also businesses are waking up to their responsibilities to the environment, the larger community and the global implications of their activities.

Love a justifiable cause and believe in your cause, follow your truth and stick to your journey even if you have to walk the path on your own. It takes just one man to make a difference. This difference can create a momentum. So the clearer you are about who you are and what you stand for, the more power you will exert in the world, whilst remaining humble and as down to earth as you wish.

Of course, by power what I mean here is not the power that corrupts us but one that changes the world and makes a positive contribution. “The difference between what we do, and what we are capable of doing, would solve most of the world’s problems”, is another saying of Gandhi, so very apt in this strife and poverty ridden world. You can’t save the whole world single-handedly, and we can’t all be a Lincoln, Gandhi, Martin Luther King. Jr or a Mandela, but you can certainly make a difference to one person at a time. So look for ways to contribute.

Ask yourself what special skill or knowledge you have that can solve a problem or make the best of a situation and that will help or support others. Start small – and get started no matter what. All legends the world has ever known too started small one day at the beginning of their own life’s journeys. So fear not – you already have and know enough – new skills will come for sure as you progress on your journey. And whatever you choose to do, it will make a difference.

The point is that everything we do matters and makes either a positive or a negative impact on everything around us. Just know that every little bit helps and by you being more loving and peaceful, the rest of the world becomes more loving and peaceful too. After all, we all have a that little spark inside of us, just waiting to emerge into a fire. So just how crazy are you in love to bring about the change? And how will YOU change the world is again left to you?