Would You Change the World?

If you could change the world… would you?

There’s an aspect to that question that implies it’s “for the better,” but I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. I think that we do change the world around us every single day – without realizing it or thinking about it, and not always for the better.

Think about it: we are a product of our environment and simultaneously we create our environment. We are the beginning and the end of what we see, hear, and experience on a daily basis.

Therefore, the question is not really “would you,” but since you already are, what can you do differently?

Everything you send out becomes a seed or ripple for someone else. Everything.

And before we get into whether this is spiritual mumbo-jumbo or too altruistic and theoretical, let me say plainly that it’s not. Here’s why:

I’m human. I react to the events in my environment. I may get upset, elated, angry, happy, hurt, etc. For example, if I’m driving down the road and get cut off, I’ll have a reaction. It’s natural.

What happens in the seconds AFTER my initial reaction is what matters most. If I get cut off, I might say, “oh, come on!” aloud in my car. I can then choose to pursue it further (swear, honk, offer a hand-related gesture) or let it go (breathe, listen to music, pay attention to my own driving). This is where the power lies. In that nano-moment I have the power of choice, and what I choose directly affects the world around me.

My decision changes the world, one way or another.

If I carry it further, I have created ripples in my own life by letting my actions affect my mood and subsequently how I show up. I have also created an opportunity for the other person to carry it further, and create their own domino effect that moves on down the line. A change in the world has occurred.

If I choose to let it go, I am reclaiming my own power, which means I show up with that presence, which has its own ripple effect down the line. Letting it go also means that I am stopping at least one of the dominoes from the person cutting me off by not allowing them to send their ripples toward me. A change occurs.

Our actions directly affect how we show up in the world, and subsequently, how we invite the world to show up for us. A change occurs either way. If you want to change the world for the better, being deliberate in your choices is a good place to start.

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