Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

June 4, 2007

Change the World: One World-Sized Idea

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 9:06 am

Are We Afraid We Would Make a Difference?

Change the World!

A lucky part of being who and where I am is that I get have conversations about people’s passions and dreams for the future. I hear their heads describing their skills and talents. I hear their hearts explaining how they long to follow their calling.

The wish is always there, often unspoken — sometimes from fear of it, sometimes from a lack of ownership.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a young man. He had some idea of his future, but not yet a whole one. He asked my experience. I said is that, if he were going to make one mistake, I suspected that he would not think big enough.

“Not think big enough,” he pondered that phrase.

“Yes, I don’t think I’ve heard anyone think too big for years, maybe forever.”
He asked for more. I elaborated in this way.

We make our ideas smaller by thinking we weren’t meant to do something. Other folks were meant to change things. We were meant to live with them. Why do we argue for that? Isn’t the opposite an equally valid argument?

Why do we shy away from what we long to be doing?

Are we afraid that we actually could make a difference?

Nelson Mandela knows.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Ghandhi
Mother Teresa
Martin Luther King

They were each one person with a refusal to follow their fear.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

One person can change the world with belief in a world-sized idea.

This is not talk. I truly do . . . plan . . .. to . . . Change the World.

With capital letters.

Why not me? Why not you? Why not all of us?

We can change the world — just like that.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Mandela’s speech was written by Marianne Williamson.
______________
If you’re ready to change the world, send me your thoughts in a guest post. Feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.

Change the World!.

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.





Filed under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog, The Big Idea |




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36 Comments to “Change the World: One World-Sized Idea”

  1. June 4th, 2007 at 9:53 am
    Tariq Khan said

    Liz,

    A fantastic message said very well. Thanks for the light you shine.

    Tariq

  2. June 4th, 2007 at 9:55 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Tariq,
    Thank you. It means much to hear your voice saying that. :)

  3. June 4th, 2007 at 11:25 am
    Armen .: Online Advice said

    That is scarily true! What’s worse is that, rather than spurring me on, the reality of it causes me to shrink away further. Why is this the case?

  4. June 4th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
    Mike said

    Liz,

    I can never get enough of this message, and I am guessing that it’s one of life’s harder lessons to learn. I’m still struggling with it, that’s for sure! ;-)

    Mike

  5. June 4th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
    John Benage said

    Thanks for the alert Liz.

    I’m on it but, keep getting distracted. Now I know to return to my quest…writing and speaking for a better world through a more connected family of humanity — writing everyday.

    John

  6. June 4th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Armen,
    The responsibility of a great idea can be a huge undertaking . . . what if I change the world for good and people expect me to be more than I am?

    Hi Mike,
    Give up the struggle. Surrender and try an idea that’s just a little bit bigger this time. :)

    Hey John,
    A quest is the perfect word for a commitment to change the world. Go for it. I’m with you!

  7. June 4th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
    Mike said

    Liz,

    Roger that; it’s the figuring out what “little” is that challenges me, but I think I’ve got it figured out.

    Mike

  8. June 4th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
    Yoav said

    Amen

  9. June 4th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mike!
    Let me know if there is any way I can help. :)

  10. June 4th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Yoav, I’ll second that! Amen.

  11. June 4th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
    Mike said

    Liz,

    Thanks, and will do!

    Mike

  12. June 4th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
    ME Strauss said

    That would be so fun!

  13. June 4th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
    Billy said

    Liz

    What a great post. There really isn’t much to say right now about it, but this is something I will be digesting for awhile and maybe blog about it tonight! :)

    Billy

  14. June 4th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Billy!
    Thanks. It is something that could require some thinking I understand that. :)

  15. June 5th, 2007 at 8:20 am
    Karin H. said

    Hi Liz

    Wow, ‘hear’ my mentor again in your post (strange not, he keeps popping up here ;-))
    His concept: as small business don’t think small - that’s just a label economy puts on you - think big. Leave your ‘label’ and become big.

    Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

  16. June 5th, 2007 at 8:22 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Karin!
    I’ve just gotten off the phone with a friend. We were having this conversation — that everyone we know has been thinking too small. Big thoughts are how we grow. :)

  17. June 5th, 2007 at 8:30 am
    Karin H. said

    Hi Liz

    That’s exactly what Richard C means. Thinking big hasn’t anything to do with being arrogant; that’s showing off, not thinking big. Showing off also doesn’t have room to grow, thinking big has (plenty!).

    Karin H.

  18. June 5th, 2007 at 9:17 am
    ME Strauss said

    eh karin!
    Showing off has no room too grow . . . proabably because then, we’re already too big for our britches. :)

  19. June 5th, 2007 at 9:22 am
    Karin H. said

    As ever, you paint a great picture!

    Karin H.

  20. June 5th, 2007 at 9:24 am
    ME Strauss said

    Made you laugh! :)

  21. June 5th, 2007 at 9:26 am
    Karin H. said

    But of course ;-)

  22. June 5th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
    Dare To Make a Difference « The Organic Leadership Blog said

    [...] waiting for some else, but by thinking big to make a difference in other’s lives. Liz writes an amazing post about being scared to make a difference. She writes, We make our ideas smaller by thinking we [...]

  23. August 28th, 2007 at 9:10 am
    Latarsha said

    I agree with you wholeheartedly enough to do something about it.

    Each of us have our own life purpose and it’s time each one of us find a way to use our life to impact the lives of those we are meant to impact.

    It’s all about wrapping your SweetSpot - THAT thing you are made to do into a career or business that allows you to make your impact

  24. August 28th, 2007 at 11:19 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Lartarsha!
    “Wrapping up your SweetSpot.” Gosh, how I like that. It sounds so like what Steve Farber calls “finding your frequency.” I know that when I found the one thing that encompassed all of my other values the world made more sense and so did I.

    We were made to shine. :)

  25. March 7th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
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    [...] Are we afraid that we actually could make a difference? — from One World-Sized Idea [...]

  26. August 19th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
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    [...] Q. Please give us a link to your favourite post on your blog. This doesn’t have to be your most popular post. Just the post which is your own favourite. “Change the World: One World-Sized Idea“ [...]

  27. August 20th, 2008 at 11:43 am
    Cath Lawson said

    Liz - this is a brilliant post. It could truly turn round someone’s way of thinking, once they realise they’re actually being selfish by not thinking big enough.

  28. August 25th, 2008 at 11:05 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Cath,
    I was at Gnomedex when I saw you’d discovered this post, One World-Sized Idea. It’s one of a tiny group that I come back to often — I smiled to think of you here, knowing you’d see it as I do. Thank you for your comment letting me know your thoughts. :)

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  30. August 28th, 2008 at 7:00 am
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  32. October 24th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
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  34. March 22nd, 2009 at 10:38 am
    Toby said

    Liz - this might have been written in june of 2007 but it is perfect for the beginning of spring 2009!

  35. October 10th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
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  36. November 26th, 2009 at 10:46 am
    Jon-MIchael said

    Just found you Liz. It’s a beautiful message and I have done exercises where I write down what I would do if I could accomplish anything in the world with no constraints. My dream is to be a writer, sounds cliche I know.
    But seeing my dreams is like seeing a picturesque scene on an exotic island; tantalizing at first, but then sad when I realize I don’t have the means to get there.

    I’m not cynical or pessimistic, just wish I believed in myself as much as I believe in others.

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