How to Spark Change in the World (in 1 Minute or Less)
- By: Dave Ursillo
- Share: 14 Comments
-
“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” ~African proverb
It’s confession time. Over the last couple of weeks, I have felt like I’ve been sort of stumbling along.
My motivation has waned slightly. When people ask me what I’ve been doing lately, my response is a lackluster, “Ehhh… I don’t even know, just the usual stuff…”.
My to-do list dwindled and my project and adventure ideas were suddenly few and far between. This is simply a common occurrence for me: a natural ebb and flow of progress and regression, risking and reeling-it-in, exploration and contemplation.
But lately, it’s grown frustrating!
With awesome things on the horizon like BlogWorld Expo NYC and the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon, part of me has been waiting (admittedly lazily) for inspiration to come to me in the forms of brand new experiences and connections with other men and women from across the world.
However, today inspiration decided to find me and kick my ass into gear, instead.
A Message from Nigeria
Early this morning, I received a short but encouraging email message through my alternative leadership blog LeadWithoutFollowers.com from a man named Solomon from Lagos, Nigeria, in Western Africa. He wrote,
I got connected with your idea of this alternative leadership movement and want to encourage you to move on. Just like you wrote, the World is listening. We just concluded our general election in April 2011 and all you said is real. We must change from the old fashioned traditional system.
Although his message was short, through the simple act of reaching out, this human being far across the Earth provided me with incredible and relentless motivation to work hard and work inspired today.
And, even better, Solomon’s simple act reminded me of the nature of our modern world, our incredible connectedness to one another and the privilege we possess in being able to genuinely spark positive change in mere minutes — and actually witness the benefits of our efforts instantly.
Our Shrinking World
The world is small today and it’s only getting smaller.
Modern technology, ranging from satellite television to cellular phones and, of course, the Internet, has united and connected the human species more than ever before in the thousands and thousands of years of our storied existence.
The wonderful news is that the more connected we are, the more power we possess to radically influence happiness, goodness and positivity in our world. In this brilliant day and age — for all the problems, conflicts and difficulties our species has created and that we must work to solve and overcome — each of us possesses the chance and ability to spark change in the world in 1 minute or less.
Action Point: Pay it Forward!
A short message from across the planet sparked positive energy, motivation and determination in me. From that simple act, I write this blog post for you.
What will you do to stoke the positive energy and continue it forward in your corner of the Earth?
Let me know in the comments below or email dave(at)daveursillo(dot)com. And a big thanks to Solomon, merely one of over 6 billion human beings on earth, who helped spark some much needed motivation in Boston today.
[fblike]
Flickr photo credit: Paul Downey
14 COMMENTS... READ 'EM BELOW AND SHARE A THOUGHT
ENJOY THIS? SHARE IT!
Brandon
Right on, Dave. I know exactly where you’re coming from here. I’ve been amazed by how little comments here and there can keep the fires stoked for continuing to push for change in my life, and indeed the whole world.
Sharing the journey with others is the most effective way I’ve found for pushing ahead. Otherwise, there are plenty of things to get distracted by and nudge me off course. I’m going to continue to put it out there and connect with the people that resonate with this message. You’re one of them, and I’m so thankful to have met you.
Keep it up, my friend. :)
May 09 2011 / 12:05 pm
Dave Ursillo
This sensation we're discussing here falls under what I call, love's language-- a universal feeling that we all, as human beings, know and share regardless of cultural and linguistic differences.
The cool part is that this phenomenon is being backed by scientifically-proven evidence now, that our energy signatures are easily detectable by other humans beings from significant distances away, even though we don't always consciously recognize it.
Great stuff, Brandon, thank you again for taking the time to leave a thought and story for us all to share.
May 09 2011 / 02:05 pm
Clare
Well, in that spirit, let me reach out to you. I’ve been enjoying your blog for the last little while. I spent some time interning in the Senate and was interested on your transition from politics to personal development. I also heard your message via the call with Danielle Laporte & Jonathan Fields.
I’ve a strong interest in leadership, more specifically leadership through service. I’ve done all manner of seminars & trainings, and read loads of books on the topic and still feel I’m only scratching the surface. For me, leading by serving is the simplest and most profound model.
Keep up the hard work. I look forward to reading along with you.
My best,
Clare
P.S. Am I your first comment from Ireland? Do I get a prize? :)
May 09 2011 / 02:05 pm
Dave Ursillo
Hi Clare! Firstly, welcome to the blog! I'm happy and humbled you were inspired to leave a comment based on the theme of this piece :)
It sounds like you and I should certainly talk in greater depth about leadership, whether via email or Skype/Gmail video chat. Leadership is what began my journey here. Check LeadWithoutFollowers.com for details on these ideas I'm working hard to share with others :)
Shoot me an email dave(at)daveursillo(dot)com :)
Dave
PS: You've won 17 high-fives -- my lucky number!
May 09 2011 / 07:05 pm
Francisco Rosales
Collective energy my friend, a little spark here and there.
I’m remembering a conversation with my 12-year yesterday as I read your post. My kid said to me that he truly believed the Lakers had the potential to overcome the 0-3 even knowing that no team has done it before…
I thought, nobody believes this. Even the pre-game show started with that note, showing how history tells us it is impossible. Imagine the loads of collective *negative* energy being put out there even from fans…
How many of us really believes one single human being can spark change? We even see it as non-sense. The truth is that today’s connectivity as you say, makes that spark more possible than ever. Non-sense is keep thinking that our thoughts, messages and actions have no impact.
Thanks for the spark.
P.S. Wipe that smile off your face Dave, I know you’re from Boston but this year is all Miami…
May 09 2011 / 09:05 pm
Dave Ursillo
I could never knock the faith of a kid-- especially a fellow sports fan (even if it's a Lakers fan!).
Faith alone was what we Red Sox fans went on for decades and when we were down 0 games to 3 against the Yankees and came back to win in 2004-- an MLB first. And we were on the opposite side of a 0-3 series last year when the Bruins were defeated by the Philly Flyers-- an NHL first!
Sports aside, something is impossible until it is proven possible. That which is accepted widely as "wrong" remains such until a few can push forward and prove it "right". And here we find ourselves, occasionally feeling "against the world" to show one and all that a small spark can reach across the globe in mere minutes.
Francisco my friend, thank you for this humbling and moving message. I'm happy it resonated with you. Truly, the small stuff adds up, and in this ever-connected world, we can see the far-reaching effects of small acts and actions better than ever.
May 10 2011 / 10:05 am
Shalon
Hey Dave,
I guess the truth is, I could use with paying more attention to how I’m going to spark the fire in others, and less about how to stoke my own. Thanks for the reminder.
I think I’m similar to you in many ways that I often feel the need for a fire of passion in my life and if I don’t have one, then I get frustrated… and worse (depressed). It’s something I’m beginning to see as a slight dependency that bothers me. Have you ever seen What the Bleep do we Know? Maybe you did and you didn’t like it, but there was one part I thought was pretty great–about how our bodies become chemically dependent on certain states of mind. I believe that I have a chemical dependency on excitement (drama, maybe, if you will), and while I think that’s a lot more productive and interesting than having a dependency on being a couch potato, I also feel that this need for constant excitement also brings with it some negative states of mind (like depression or frustration), so I’m working on it. I’m working on seeing the beauty in ordinary, and the fire of passion within the simple, daily aspects of life.
Sorry to veer so much off the topic of your blog, but that’s what really struck me to say in response to your blog.
Oh, and LOVE the links!!!
May 10 2011 / 12:05 pm
Dave Ursillo
Hi Shalon!
I do not necessarily believe that "bad" must come with "the good", or that positive emotions and states of mind in life will necessarily attract the exact opposite.
In your case, with the example you use, I would say that a dependency, attachment or addiction to "excitement" would of course bring down periods because no one can sustain a period of sustained "excitement" -- that's like a drug high on an "upper"... the higher you go, the further you have to fall.
This is NOT the case, however, for wholesome and good states of mind that we could use as examples like happiness, compassion, contentment, gratitude, etc. In fact, new scientific evidence is emerging that actually proves that the more we nurture and develop these intrinsically good emotions, the EASIER it is to recover from being distressed, sad, anxious, worried, depressed, etc.!
In other words, the more "better" emotions we nurture within ourselves, the more naturally resilient (both mentally and emotionally) we become. Just as with working out and exercising, the stronger we get, the easier it is to recover from physical activities.
The remarkable thing is that the same is true with mental states of mind and positive emotions!
For further exploration of this, I'd encourage you to check out THE ART OF HAPPINESS IN A TROUBLED WORLD by the Dalai Lama and Dr. Howard Cutler -- fantastic book that bridges modern cutting edge science with traditional Western psychiatry and ancient Buddhist teachings.
May 11 2011 / 11:05 am
Sean Cox
Right on Dave. Thanks for reminding me of an important concept! Very true how the simple act of reaching out to someone with encouragement, etc. can throw another log our our motivational fire. And the flipside, for us to remember that we can do this for others. In fact, I think we often underestimate the power of our words, at least I do. We are giving people a real gift when we give some simple encouragement. Personally, I can ride the wave of an encouraging word for quite awhile, but criticism has the opposite, draining effect, like throwing some water on the fire. Ok, today I’m challenging myself to watch my mouth!
May 13 2011 / 10:05 am
Dave Ursillo
I think you hit it on the head here, Sean: "We are giving people a real gift when we give some simple encouragement." How often do we overlook the small stuff, the little things, the simple kindness in the day-to-day?
We assume that in order to have an impact, we need to pull monumental feats like Superman and reverse the Earth's rotation... when in fact these seemingly trivial actions, words, thoughts, and so on are what sustains and binds us as a species. Together, a billion small acts -- the ones we never really think twice about, let alone see on the news -- are what keeps us all going!
May 14 2011 / 02:05 pm
Farnoosh
My darling Dave, why down? Why lose motivation? You of all people?
It happens though – to the best of us. A few weeks, 4 days after my last day at corp america, I was depressed and my hubby yelled at me – in a friendly tone of course – ‘what’s wrong with you? you just made the most transformational change anyone could make in a lifetime?’ and I didn’t know – I was happy of course, beyond happy but also moody and scattered from all the emotions. I think it’s ok to just let them come and be but do get back up and get super motivated because your life is FANTASTIC and you are positioning yourself for great success and a lot of people for great change. I can’t wait to hug you in NY!! :)
May 14 2011 / 09:05 am
Dave Ursillo
Hey there mi amore Farnoosh!! The sentiment you echo in your story about Andy is spot on.
We get lost in our heads often, for whatever reasons. We human beings are weirdly emotional creatures :) It's simply awesome to have someone in your life -- whether a spouse, family member, even a stranger -- be able to kindly and positively "bop" you over the head and remind you of what you're doing for yourself and for others in your life.
Based on the excellent responses I've received here from this blog post, I think we can all safely say that small deeds and actions can literally travel across the world and influence goodness in small pockets, social circles, or even in bigger ways!
May 15 2011 / 11:05 am
How a Cup of Morning Coffee Connected Me to the World | DaveUrsillo.com
[...] today’s world, we often overlook the globalized nature of civilization. It’s easy to understand why. We simply equate our working environments, shopping at the [...]
Letters from Nigeria: Lessons on Humanity, Politics and Leadership | Lead Without Followers
[...] this week on DaveUrsillo.com, I wrote a blog post called How to Spark Change in the World (in 1 Minute or Less) that was inspired by a special message I received here from a man across the world named [...]
SHARE A THOUGHT: