Choosing to be the Change

Sometimes people ask me why I’m so optimistic and positive. Usually, when people ask me this, it’s not really a question, but more of an accusation. The unspoken comment is that it’s somehow wrong or indecent for anyone to be happy and positive when the world is in the state it’s in. And the corollary to that, of course, is that they feel the world is in pretty bad shape.

If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it. ~Lucy Larcom

Headlines and horrors

I suppose if you spend a lot of time paying attention to headlines and newsfeeds it may seem that way. Not a day goes by when you’re not inundated with news about terrorist organizations and speculation about what they’re up to. People are dying from frightening epidemics. There is war. There is drought. There is hunger. There is a global economic catastrophe on the horizon. And we might be on the brink of a mass extinction event.

It’s enough to give anyone nightmares.

Which is why I don’t focus on any of this stuff. It’s not that I don’t care… because I do. It’s not that I’m in denial… because I’m not. It’s because I know how powerful my energy and focus are. I know that focusing on what I don’t want, in my own life or in the world at large, is the best way to magnify that dark energy and bring more of what I don’t want into existence.

I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I’ll be there. ~Mother Teresa

So I choose, instead to focus on what I do want. I focus on creating the kind of life and the kind of world that I want to see. I focus on love. I focus on kindness. I focus on peace. I focus on joy. I focus on a healthy planet and healthy people. I focus on a world where all people live in harmony, in understanding and celebration of our differences. A world in which all beings are loved and cared for and a world in which we are all encouraged to shine our light as brightly as we can.

That is the kind of world and experience I want, so that is what I focus on.

Be the change: make a choice

Does this mean that I’m a blind Pollyanna who naively refuses to see the dark stuff that is there? No. It means I’m optimist who understands that all problems have solutions. And rather than curl into a useless ball and wail about how awful everything is, rather than compounding the problem by using the current global situations as an excuse for atrocious behaviours and attitudes, I choose instead to focus on finding and creating solutions. I choose to get off my ass and become a part of the force for positive change. I choose to use my considerable creative powers to build something better. I choose to be the change I wish to see.

If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change. ~Michael Jackson, “Man in the Mirror”

There are big things happening in the world right now, yes. But while the media chooses to focus entirely on the darker aspects of those changes, be assured that there are equally strong forces of light at play, too. If it’s the light you want in your life, then focus on that. Be part of that force of light and help it to grow! Kindle the fires of kindness and joy whenever and wherever you can. Look for projects that you can contribute to that will help to make the world a better place. Work for solutions rather than bitching about problems.

Shine your light

I am a lightworker. And if you’re one of my regular readers, you are most likely a lightworker yourself, whether you’ve come to realize it yet or not. But in you is great power, should you choose to use it. You feel the energy of all that is. You instinctively know that there is something more to our existence than what we see and feel with our five senses. And what’s more, you have the ability to manipulate the energy around you. You have been born with the ability to act as a catalyst… your light is so strong that it attracts others who are on the verge of learning their own power; you are a focal point around which others can rekindle their own spirits and learn to let their own light shine.

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster”, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers; so many caring people in this world. ~Fred Rogers

Some take a page from Paulo Coelho’s work and call us the Warriors of Light. But we’re not warriors. We don’t fight. We don’t need to. All we need to do is be the light… to let it work through us and as us, and to concentrate our actions in service of the universal forces of love and kindness; to let ourselves shine so that others can come to know that they can, too. Because that’s how the light grows; person to person; spark by spark.

Light is stronger than darkness

And that’s all it takes for the balance of power to shift. Light is strong; no matter how dark it gets, a single flare of light is instantly seen through the shadows. And a single flame can ignite thousands more. The darkness cannot win, so long as a single point of light remains.

So shine.

Shine your light and focus on what you want to see. Stop complaining about the state of the world, and stop fearing it. If you want things to change, then start changing them yourself. Use your thoughts, your actions and your energy to create the kind of world you want to see, and never underestimate the power of the ripple effect. Your light and your energy will touch others. And together we can and will be the change we wish to see.

Be the change that you wish to see in the world. ~Mahatma Gandhi

P.S. There’s a secret about lightworkers, and that is that we all are. That potential lies in each and every one of us. Some people know it, and some don’t. But it’s there inside. And you’re the only one who can decide whether to use that power or not…

photo credit: pixabay.com cc

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