How To Change The World
You can have an immediate impact on life as we know it
Hello everyone.
I write from the city of Malaga, Spain - the birthplace of Pablo Picasso which I found quite interesting.
Something that has really surprised me about the south of Spain is the nature. Today we went to a town called El Chorro (The Jet) to do a hike called the Caminito Del Ray.
Being outside and seeing the magnificent rock formations made me feel very small next to the rock - very individual. It made me think, what can I do to make a difference, even though I’m so small?
Being humbled by the megaliths calmed my mind down and allowed me to focus on what I believe is the key to a good world.
I hope you enjoy it.
How To Change The World
Changing the world is simple.
It’s not the next iPhone or electric car — it’s much less complicated.
When you leave the earth, you can either have been irrelevant to humanity or you left a legacy behind that changed the world for the better.
Which will you choose?
Part 1 | Nobody is free from influence
We like to think we’re clever little people who learned everything alone and became what we are based on sheer determination — but that’s not true.
Humans are like blank canvases — very impressionable, especially at a young age. Our personalities and our opinions on the world are shaped based on how we were raised, and what information was available to us at the time.
You might think that your terrible teachers or your imperfect parents had no impact on you, but you’re wrong. The most subtle moments have transformative effects on us as people — both good and bad.
A core memory sticks out to me.
My mum got mad at me one morning — I think I was 7 years old. I don’t remember why, usually because the reason for the argument isn’t important — it’s what comes after that sticks.
We were driving to school in post-anger silence and she said in a soft, but embarrassed tone:
I’m sorry I got mad at you — it wasn’t your fault, you didn’t do anything wrong.
To this day I’m not afraid to admit my mistakes — I consider it a strength of mine. Just a small moment in her life, but it formed a pillar of my personality.
I hope that anecdote reminds you of some moments in your life — good or bad. Think about those moments, and how what a person did, or said, changed your life.
We are the sum of all the lessons we’ve learned through the people close to us or the information we’ve consumed.
What we don’t think about is what kind of role model we’re being.
Part 2 | Be the person you wish you had
Now that we know the value of the people we look up to, we can start to talk about how to change the world — one small step at a time.
Let’s picture a young man who had a deadbeat father — never around, beats his wife, the works.
When the boy grows older and his wife gives birth to a baby, he makes an oath that he’ll be the father he wishes he had had. He’ll be there to show his son how to ride a bike, how to shave, how to change a tire and how to be a loving man.
That child grows up to be a school teacher, and all the lessons his Dad taught him get passed down, not only to his own child — but to the class of kids he teaches.
This is how you change the world — one small step at a time.
There’s a YouTube channel called ‘Dad, How do I?’ that explains this point perfectly. It’s a channel devoted to teachings kids without a typical fatherly figure, to do everyday things. The channel has amassed 4.6 million subscribers in just two years.
If this guy hadn’t been who he’d needed, 4.6 million people wouldn’t have learned the lessons he’s sharing.
But you don’t need to start a YouTube channel for 4.6 million people, or even have a child, to change the world.
You can become the manager at your job and treat the staff with respect, or you can be a role model to the kid from down the street. Whatever you wish you’d had, create that for someone else. Take the lessons you learned and apply them for the greater good.
If you lived your life being what you wished someone was to you — the world would be a better place.
Part 3 | Small actions, big results
The butterfly effect guarantees that your actions will ripple out into the wider world.
You don’t even need to raise a kid, be a role model or teach a class to change the world. You just need to take the age-old saying “Treat others how you’d like to be treated” and run with it. Take it to the next level.
Be the customer that the clerk would want, or the passenger that makes the bus driver’s day. Be the person who smiles at others, not the person who gives a gross stare. Ask the waiter how their day is before you order — they’re a person too.
Because you haven’t just made their day, you’ve improved the mood of someone who will come in contact with many other people that day and your kindness will spread through that network.
In this ‘every man for himself’ society, we need you more than ever.
Final Thoughts
All it takes is to live your life with empathy. Be someone who brings good to the world, and who impacts the world in a positive way.
Everyone on Earth — even if it might not seem like it — has their own whole life. They have problems, family, friends, the lot. So why not be to them, what you wish someone was to you?
Instead of whinging about how the world has treated you today, why not be the solution instead of the problem?
Be what you needed as a child. Be what you needed when you worked behind a bar. Be what you needed from a partner. Be the change.
Treat others how you’d like to be treated — just like your mother taught you — and you can change the world.
Thank you for reading.
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Without you reading, the message I’m passionate about flows into the ether. I just want to share what I learned with more people.
PS. You can find more about Valerio here. This is not sponsored.
I wish I could’ve given past me these kinds of mindset shifts, so I’m trying to reach as far and wide as I possibly can. Please share this post with someone who you think might enjoy it too.
Until next week,
Eren
