Changing The World
While it is often said that one person cannot change the world, I submit that one person can change the lives of a significant number of people in the world.
Each one of us will meet about 10,000 people in our lifetime and that is a lot of people. But, if every one of us changed the lives of just ten people, and each one of those ten changed the lives of another ten people then in five generations (roughly 125 years) we would have changed the lives of 800 million people.
800 million people, think of it, that is over four times the population of Nigeria.
If you think it’s hard to change the lives of ten people, change their lives forever, you’re wrong.
It is happening every day.
A young Army officer makes a decision to go left instead of right down a road in Baghdad and the ten soldiers in his squad are saved from close-in ambush.
In Kandahar province, Afghanistan, a non-commissioned officer from the Female Engagement Team senses something isn’t right and directs the infantry platoon away from a 500 pound IED, saving the lives of a dozen soldiers.
Many of my colleagues who are more than ten by the way have had their paradigms (world view) altered significantly by me, resulting in a people with contagious believe in their ability to impact life positively. In spite of the challenges all around us, it's like they have been saved from a destructive pattern of hopelessness, fear, uncertainty and doubt.
You must note that this people were not only saved by the decisions of one person, but their children yet unborn, were also saved. And their children’s children, were saved.
Generations were saved by one decision, by one person.
Our struggles in this world are similar and the lessons to overcome those struggles and to move forward, changing ourselves and the world around us in the process, apply equally to all.
So, here are some lessons that hopefully will be of value to you as you move forward in life and hopefully change the world.
Start each day with a task completed like simply making your bed to perfection each morning, saying your prayers or a few minutes exercise before you set out. Believe me, such seemingly simple task will make you proud and spur you on to compete many more tasks daily.
Creativity is not an individual gift. You can’t change the world alone. You will need some help, and to truly get from your starting point to your destination takes friends, colleagues, the good will of strangers and a strong hand of God to guide them.
If you want to change the world, measure the people you meet by the size of their heart, not the size of their pocket or their education. No one is really unimportant. You can learn something from everyone.
If you want to change the world don’t ever, ever give up on yourself, on others or life.
It will not be easy but respect everyone.
Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often, but you should take take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, never give up.
If you do these things, you would have changed the world. Then the next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today.
Each one of us will meet about 10,000 people in our lifetime and that is a lot of people. But, if every one of us changed the lives of just ten people, and each one of those ten changed the lives of another ten people then in five generations (roughly 125 years) we would have changed the lives of 800 million people.
800 million people, think of it, that is over four times the population of Nigeria.
If you think it’s hard to change the lives of ten people, change their lives forever, you’re wrong.
It is happening every day.
A young Army officer makes a decision to go left instead of right down a road in Baghdad and the ten soldiers in his squad are saved from close-in ambush.
In Kandahar province, Afghanistan, a non-commissioned officer from the Female Engagement Team senses something isn’t right and directs the infantry platoon away from a 500 pound IED, saving the lives of a dozen soldiers.
Many of my colleagues who are more than ten by the way have had their paradigms (world view) altered significantly by me, resulting in a people with contagious believe in their ability to impact life positively. In spite of the challenges all around us, it's like they have been saved from a destructive pattern of hopelessness, fear, uncertainty and doubt.
You must note that this people were not only saved by the decisions of one person, but their children yet unborn, were also saved. And their children’s children, were saved.
Generations were saved by one decision, by one person.
Our struggles in this world are similar and the lessons to overcome those struggles and to move forward, changing ourselves and the world around us in the process, apply equally to all.
So, here are some lessons that hopefully will be of value to you as you move forward in life and hopefully change the world.
Start each day with a task completed like simply making your bed to perfection each morning, saying your prayers or a few minutes exercise before you set out. Believe me, such seemingly simple task will make you proud and spur you on to compete many more tasks daily.
Creativity is not an individual gift. You can’t change the world alone. You will need some help, and to truly get from your starting point to your destination takes friends, colleagues, the good will of strangers and a strong hand of God to guide them.
If you want to change the world, measure the people you meet by the size of their heart, not the size of their pocket or their education. No one is really unimportant. You can learn something from everyone.
If you want to change the world don’t ever, ever give up on yourself, on others or life.
It will not be easy but respect everyone.
Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often, but you should take take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, never give up.
If you do these things, you would have changed the world. Then the next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today.
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