I stumbled across this old writing of mine from 2 years ago and inspired myself when I read it. Things have changed a lot since then, but I feel a lot of my core beliefs are still the same. Each and every one of us does hold power to change the world. Just thought that I would share. 🙂

With all of the injustice and oppression going on in our world today it may seem impossible to do anything about it. The problems that our world faces seem insurmountable. It is true, we are facing hard times and the light in the world seems to be very well hidden, at times even impossible to be found. Love and compassion seem to have gone extinct as everyone is looking out for themselves and concerns themselves less and less with the welfare of others and our planet. All the selfishness of our culture has brought us destruction and we are reaping what we have sown.

What can we do? We cannot change the world! No, we cannot change the world, but we can change ourselves. We can change our thoughts and our actions, we do have the power to do that and a set mind is a very powerful thing.

After spending much of my life being overweight, selfish and miserable, feeling the spark of inspiration but never really making any changes, I finally decided that I could no longer sit around in my comfortable, familiar, restrictive patterns and just expect change to come my way. I began to actually listen to my true self and believe that maybe, as Gandhi states, I could be the change I wish to see in the world. Deep within myself I had all of these desires, but they were something that I had ignored for so long that they had become hard to be in touch with. I had always only listened to the voice of my ego repeating to me all of my fears and all of the things that I could never do, but deep down I could hear the voice of my true self protesting “Why not?”

Think of all of the people who you admire and find inspirational. What is it about them, those people who truly make a difference? We admire their determination and their unshakable belief in themselves. The people who are living for a purpose and for others because they believe in change and hope and they believe that it exists in them. They dare us to look at our lives and acknowledge the areas that we need change. They understand the importance of self love, so that they can then love others. They are in touch with their desires and are not held back by fear and unbelief. Every challenge they face is only a stepping stone to a greater life and is used to serve their highest potential.

I realized that these people were not superhuman, they really were no different than me. The only difference was that they were in touch with their true self and their desires. They were living deeper than their fears and their feelings. While I had always felt inspired and moved to change, that was all I ever did. It wasn’t until I faced my fears and doubted my doubts that my life really began to change. I began to exercise, not only my physical body, but my mind also. I started reading inspirational books and blogs and surrounding myself with people who would challenge me to grow, rather than bring me down. I allowed myself to try new things, take risks and get uncomfortable. In one year, I had lost 100 pounds, became vegan and felt like a completely new person physically, mentally and spiritually. I found myself doing the things that I would never have imagined I could do and I was falling in love with life.

The greatest thing that I learned from my whole experience in that year was that there is power in one. I saw that as I was changing, the world and others around me began to change also. As I became in touch with my true self and my desires I was liberated from my restrictive and destructive thoughts and habits and my light was able to shine. I was becoming an inspirational person as well.

Now when I encounter the voice of fear, that tells me “I can’t,” I press past it and have learned to use it as a catalyst for change. I see that each and every trial I face is a gift that brings me an opportunity to grow and become more in touch with who I really am and what I truly desire.

A favorite quote of mine is by Maya Angelou, she says, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” I believe these are words to live by. The only way that anything is ever going to change is if enough people decide that they can make a difference, that even one holds power and influence. That how we think, act and live our lives truly does have an effect on the lives of others.

So I challenge you to live deeper than what you think and feel and connect with your desires. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Shine your light in the darkness. Decide, choose and believe that there is power in one. Together we can make a difference. A set mind and a determined spirit are unstoppable.