Be the source

There is a quote that many people attribute to Gandhi.  It goes like this. "Be the change you want to see in the world". There is much disagreement about whether or not he ever spoke those exact words. Does that really matter though? It is obvious from the way he lived his life that this was his philosophy.

Here was a man who looked around himself, at the state of the world, and more directly at the state of affairs in his own country. What he saw appalled him. He thought that the way things were sucked. And he was right. Things were terrible. He took a stand and changed them.

In your own life, what do you do when you look around you and you find that you do not like what you see? If you are like many people, you close your eyes and simply stop looking. Or if you are like most people, maybe you complain about it to your friends, family and co-workers. You see all the things around you that you do not like, but you tell yourself that there is nothing you can do. You say that it is always going to be this way or worse.

The philosophy of being the source of the change you want to see in the world is very powerful, because the odds are that other people are just as unhappy and just as fed up with the way things are as you are. There are always others who are waiting to rally behind a cause that will improve their lives. Yet, the world is a mess because people generally do not do anything to make it better. Each person is always waiting for someone else to take charge and be the leader. Statistically speaking, eventually someone will take a stand for change. But why suffer until then? Why wait to rally behind someone else that decides they have been hurt and frustrated for long enough?

Be like Gandhi. Take stock of your situation and decide what you are okay with and what you are not. Ask yourself some questions. Decide what sacrifices you are willing to make to have the things that you want. Look inside of yourself and find out what needs to change. Find out who you need to be in order to make the changes in your world that are necessary for you to be satisfied with the outcome. Surround yourself with people that want the same things that you do. Then create a set of actionable steps that you can do to get what you want.  After that, follow the plan until you accomplish your goals or goals.

It doesn't matter what your goal is. It could be as simple as having a garden in your yard, getting more money or improving situations where you work or as complicated as getting into a serious relationship and starting a family. You can even have a goal that has a huge impact on your home country or the whole world, such as abolishing all bans on gay marriage or creating a single universal currency. If you truly believe that it should happen then you should be the one to make it happen.

The only way you can ensure that the changes that you want in life occur is to be the source of those changes. What are you waiting for? Make the world a better place.