Be The Change The World So Desperately Needs

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

— Mahatma Gandhi

Be the change. Instead of waiting for the person next to you, instead of thinking someone else will do what needs to be done, instead of hoping things will shift and improve in time—be the change. Be the hope. Be the inspiration. Be the love. Be the light.

This world is filled with frustration, with confusion, with pain, with arguments and conflict and division, and sometimes if we get so wrapped up in that, we forget how beautiful it still can be, still is.

With tragedy all around us, with people losing their lives, with loss and heartbreak and divorce and death and brokenness, sometimes it’s so hard to see the shiny parts of this life. It’s so hard to focus on the good when we scroll through social media that’s riddled with comparison and anger, when we meet people who have their guards up, when we hear stories of someone else’s pain that is mirrored back in our own broken hearts.

Sometimes it’s so easy to chalk life up to negative, to only see what’s going wrong instead of what’s going right. To only notice the way we can’t agree, instead of the compromise. To only see the end, rather than the beauty and the legacy that’s continued.

We want to see the world in a new way. We long for some sense of hope, support, and connection between us as humans.

But sometimes we wait, thinking that someone else will be the one to take the first step. Someone else will push for the legislation, call the number, speak up on our behalf. Someone else will make a difference, make things happen in our favor.

We tell ourselves that someone else will be the change—but why don’t we?

Be the voice of hope and reason in the darkness. Say the words on your heart. Speak out for something that you don’t agree with. Share love with whomever you meet.

Be the one who stands in the face of injustice, even if that means you’re standing alone.

Be the laughter that spreads, the smile that greets a person who is struggling through their day. Be the encouragement a stranger needs, a shoulder for one to lean on, a hand to pull them back to their feet again.

Be the change you wish to see around you.

When you notice someone struggling, offer to help. When you’re tempted to speak with anger, hold your tongue. When life gets complicated, pray, breathe, and hold on. Seek truth instead of spewing whatever comes to your mind. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Listen, rather than speak.

When conflict arises, be mindful of the opposite side. Learn from others instead of passing judgment. Be open to criticism and learn to accept others, even if you cannot agree.

Be the difference—the person who goes out of his or her way to show love, to be intentional, to care.

Don’t wait for someone else to say what needs to be said, for another person to step up. Don’t cling to the familiar out of fear, but be open to the lessons the world can teach you. Don’t live your life waiting—for something to be different, for someone to step up, for something to shift.

Be the change you long for, the change the world so desperately needs.
And begin right now.