Be the Change

As follow up to my previous post, and further development in Africa, I wanted to take this time to turn these National Revolutions into personal ones.

Day by day, the news emphasizes the weight of what the people of Northern Africa are accomplishing. Granted, Libya is not going quite as smoothly as Egypt, yet they are demanding change none the less. It really puts things in perspective when you look at our relatively easy lives when all things are accounted for. While we may be dodging hypothetical bullets, people every day are dodging real ones—praying to make it to see tomorrow.

So again, allow me to reiterate: We are going to take the core foundation of these revolutions and apply them to our own lives. As the great Mother Teresa once said, “Do not wait for leaders! You do it, person to person.”

With the onset of another revolution from the technical side, communicating to one another has become effortless. However, it seems to have become a catch 22. While we maintain contact daily, when was the last time to spoke to that someone face-to-face?  We have allowed ourselves to be viewed as “usernames” rather than people—especially among our work environment.

In today’s competitive atmosphere, the ability to communicate your ideas is essential for success. There will be many times in your life, where you will feel silenced by your alleged superiors due to lack in email response or callback. In the end we are all human—remind them of that. If you feel strongly about something, don’t give up on yourself. Find a way to be heard. Be bold, and find a way to introduce yourself. By attaching a face to the caller or email sender, it will hold much more weight than those digital recordings.

Getting to know your colleagues, partners, or employees is a lost treasure among businesses.  I am honored to say that some of my closest friends are people I have met through business; and on the other side, some of my best business deals have been through a connection made in conversation. Today, things are managed over the internet, signed and faxed back. The hand shake—something coveted amongst business cohorts—has become an endangered species. Make a personal habit to introduce yourself, shake someone’s hand and make an impression. That is the only way you will get anywhere in life.

As Mother Teresa and the community of Northern Africa have demonstrated, do not wait on your leaders to change. You need to “be the change you wish to see.”—Ghandi.