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You can change the world
‘You can change the world’ sounds pretty dramatic doesn’t it? I think it’s hard for any of us to think that we have the power to do something so grand. But the amazing reality is that we do.
Many years ago when I was fresh out of law school I had a grand notion that part of my job was going to be making the world a better place. I really hadn’t given much thought as to how this would actually happen, but I just knew it would.
Fast forward 10 years and I was ready for a change. The legal field was stressful although I was fortunate to have surrounded myself with some pretty incredible mentors. But I hadn’t made that dent in the world yet.
Then three beautiful boys [2] made their way into my life. Change was upon me whether I liked it or not. I traded in my suits for a few pairs of Lululemon pants and I was ready to ride the next roller coaster in life. I started Groovy Green Livin and went in without many expectations. I had a message that I wanted to convey about healthy non-toxic living, but that was about it.
Two years into my tenure at Groovy Green Livin I have begun to see that making the world a better place is possible.
Through simply using your voice to speak out about what you believe in or by helping someone in need change can happen. There are countless examples of how we can all help.
Starting two petitions was my recent contribution towards change. Asking Tide to remove a cancer causing chemical [3] from their Tide Free & Gentle laundry detergent has gone viral. The petition has well over 78,000 signatures and continues to grow. My Disney petition [4] asking Disney to remove toxic chemicals from their Spiderman and princess lunch boxes also took off with almost 60,000 signatures at last check.
What truly has touched me throughout my work on both petitions are the number of people who have come together to voice their concern. Each person now has an awareness that an issue exists-and an issue that could detrimentally effect their health or the health of their family. It’s all of you who sign petitions and use your power-you are truly the change makers in the world. Many went on to share the story of the petitions with friends and family, creating a viral effect. Creating an awareness surrounding these issues and helping others make educated decisions when buying something made starting these petitions so very worthwhile. These are just two examples of how together we can and will make a difference.
How you can change the world
Every day people are taking small steps to create big change in communities all over the country. Read about some of their inspiring stories HERE.
Are you interested in learning how to be a changemaker in your own community? TakePart has put together a helpful Community Action Pack Toolkit to help figure out where to begin.
Have you seen the movie Promised Land? Watch the trailer HERE. Promised Land explores America at the crossroads where big business and the strength of small-town community converge.
Take the Changemaker Personality Test to see what type of changemaker you are. I’m a Networker.
What type of change would you like to make or have you made? My advice: Go get ’em!
[5]Disclosure: Thank you to Linqia and Take Part (the digital arm of Participant Media) for sponsoring this post and asking me to share a piece of my story.
photo credit: WA State Library [6] via photopin [7] cc [8]