I have always been fascinated with these words, and with the desire to better understand them, I have decided to sit down with myself and challenge my understanding of how they apply to, and effect my life. So, with no farther delay, here is the dialog which ensued;

What does “be the change” really mean? What does it take, and how do we begin?

Growing up as children, we are told, “the early bird gets the worm” or “what goes around comes around” so casually, it seems as though society as a whole has forgotten that these soft-spoken and nonchalant words hold powerful and thought-provoking outcomes. We tend to throw them into the back of our mental scrapbooks of sayings and advice that we grow up hearing and agree to without fully understanding their intent.

Perhaps we are afraid of taking on that sort of responsibility, if not for the sake of society, then for ourselves. In itself, the idea of change is a terrifying concept of humans. Change brings about new ideas, beliefs, patterns of behavior, and societal norms, all things which remove us from our current states of familiarity and comfort.

Perhaps it’s the profound realization of having imperfect flaws within ourselves, resulting in us needing to change or improve to justify our actions and behaviors as “adequate” or “acceptable” to others. We try not to acknowledge that the need to improve means that we must dive into the unknown and scary world of self-development.

Surely there is an easier way to look at it.

For starters, I believe that change is rooted deeply in the concept of understanding. Understanding the necessity for improvement in not just the issues of the world, our communities, our “carved in stone” ideals, and the way we view and treat others as a whole, but also most importantly, the way we choose to care for and carry ourselves as individuals.

To see the change, you have to create the change and live as you expect others to live. Teaching through example will always be more effective than teaching through instruction because humans mirror each other after all. It is much easier to change yourself than it is to change others. Living with the belief that your actions directly influence those around you gives you the power to either continue unhealthy cycles or lead by example and inspire others.

This is where the work starts.

It’s easy to expect others to be understanding without taking the effort in yourself to actively listen and try to understand others. To expect being successful without wanting others to succeed. It is easy to ask others to change when you are unwilling to change yourself. How you treat others is a reflection of yourself, and understanding change begins with understanding where you can do more.

When we take accountability for our actions and behavior, we begin to build a sense of pride, peace, and fulfillment within ourselves.

Pride in knowing that you are actively trying to live a better life for yourself and as a result, inspire others to do the same. Peace in knowing that the way others treat you does not affect the way how you decide to treat others, and finally, fulfillment in the knowledge that these collective efforts are actively making an impact in the world around you.

When we push past the idea that facing reality is not agonizing but empowering, we can truly tap into the understanding that we control our reality. Learning to improve yourself and indeed be the best version of yourself that can be, will lead you to live a healthier, more insightful and fulfilling life, which will ultimately inspire the lives of everyone you touch.

That is how being the change, changes the world.