The Power of Change

Changing the world seems to be a prominent subject of modern culture. Just in the past three decades, there have been many pioneers, visionaries, and inventors whose ideas have had a substantial impact on the world. Recognizing the need for customer empowerment, Jeff Bezos changed the world by redefining electronic commerce when he launched Amazon from his garage in 1994. Acknowledging the rise of a digitally consumed era, Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Wozniak, changed the world by revolutionizing consumer based technology when they founded Apple in 1976. A year before that in 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen changed the world by transforming computer software with their invention of Microsoft.

It's 2018, and changing the world by changing people is my vision.

If you think about it, the world does not exist independently without people. Earth would still technically be classified as a planet, but people are what makes it the world, and people are truly the driving foundation of everything that exemplifies it. To me, if you wish to change or influence any part of the world any capacity, that begins with people.

The How.

The "how" in a quest to change others unequivocally depends on the nature of the vision. Vision is often subjective by individual, and thus the phrase, "changing the world" becomes vulnerable to multiple interpretations. One could make the argument that Hitler changed the world as much as Martin Luther King Jr. did, yet clearly they stand on very different pedestals on the spectrum of history, so where is the variance? The difference is simply this: one's vision was to change the world with violence, terror, and hate, while the other's was to change the world through hope, restoration, and justice. Change is merely a channel of pure human inclination; what you choose to inject into it grants it the power to influence people. Actions and words are mostly useless before they receive the spark of human charisma that fuels a movement-starting fire.

Hitler didn't physically alter innocent civilians into a Nazi regime in the same way that MLK didn't establish his legacy in the civil rights movement by material change. Although the ultimate results may transpire in a more tangible manner, change on a monumental scale does not begin physically; it initiates through human investment in the beliefs, values, and ideas of others. Great movers and shakers understand that physical changes generally originate from the change within. This isn't to say you cannot use physical talents and gifts to make a positive impact on others, but rather than channeling it as a purely superficial transaction, reflect on how your physical instruments can advance intellectual advancement in others. This is a phenomenon we often perceive in personal expressions such as music, art or photography. A physical mechanism such as a photograph or painting has the ability to positively instill certain ideas and values in its audience. If you can master the art of using interaction to promote group alignment, you can begin building a foundation on which to construct a strong organization of competent, mutually beneficial people, which is crucial to any leader or manager. No matter how brilliant your ideas are, you simply cannot accomplish greatness without the help of others.  Every seemingly solo act owes his accomplishment to a large team of people behind him, working behind the scenes with due diligence towards a mutual vision.

A wise leader understands how to build his empire on a solid foundation of firmly rooted people that can support the vision even when circumstances become tough and group cohesion is compromised. 

The Why.

Change is far more unconscious than we realize. Take a second and think about your closest friend; without realizing it, you've probably accounted for some amount of change in their life. Maybe you influenced them to replicate your hobby or pursue a new passion. Even things as trivial as certain words or phrases you might have passed onto them contribute a small portion of change.

The idea of change doesn't have to be limited to a global level, and it becomes immensely personal if you stop to consider the powerful implications of changing just one person's world.

Similar to George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, most people drastically underestimate the amount of lives they impact on a daily basis. The matter in which you change others is a direct representation of your own character. Each and every one of us has the ability to incite change in others, but with great power comes great responsibility as well, and those who seek to achieve a greater purpose will find that our duty as humans often extends farther than ourselves.

There is extreme power in changing others. For one, you are able to personally witness the repercussions of your influence over time. There’s something extremely captivating about seeing the seeds you plant in others manifest themselves in their lives, and by changing others, you're also changing yourself. I have found that staying motivated to positively impact people has accelerated my own development, and being able to observe my impression in other lives provides an effective channel of feedback. If you only work on developing yourself, there’s a chance you may be able to positively impact others with your self - acquired skills. However, you also run the risk of being so self- focused you neglect the opportunity to benefit others. On the other hand, if you purposefully delegate effort to positively changing others, you WILL develop yourself through that process.

You cannot create positive change in the lives of others without maturing and developing aspects of yourself simultaneously.

In conclusion, I suggest this: Perhaps changing the world is too broad of a statement. Using my philosophy, I believe changing the worlds of people is a far more accurate explanation of my vision. There's an old saying about leaving the place better than when you found it; I've referenced this proverb over the years because of its intrinsic wisdom and I eventually repurposed it into the following two statements.

Leave the world better than when you entered it. Leave people better than when you met them.