Grow your best life
You are a change-maker
Our actions change the world. The question is how.
CLZúñiga
7/9/20263 min read
One simple action in our lives impacts everything. Like a pebble thrown into a pond, the ripples of a single action expand indefinitely. This is especially true when one pebble thrown becomes one thousand, one hundred thousand, one million or more pebbles thrown.
When it comes to changing the world, a single individual can inspire a global movement with one simple pebble thrown, and many have. Though we may not see ourselves as "that person," we can join with millions of others to create positive change.
For the environment that sustains life on this sacred Earth, examining our assumptions can be the pebble we throw that starts or feeds a powerful movement. Examining them begins to clear a path to personal change. Personal change is essential to global change.
Take some time to contemplate the five common assumptions listed below. Record and challenge your thoughts. Research one simple action you can take that breaks each assumption.
I'm doing all I can.
It's not up to me. I can't change much of the bigger picture.
Someone is out there getting a handle on it already.
I can't force change into society or people.
Some people will never change.
For example, if your conditioned mind says, "I'm doing all I can," question that assumption. Consider and research ways you can change the laundry detergent jug you buy to plastic-free powders or sheets in recyclable packaging. According to Worldmetrics data, microplastics have been found in 90% of U.S. drinking water samples, 83% of tap water samples and 99% of U.S. residents have microplastics in their bloodstreams.
If your mind says, "It's not up to me. I can't change much of the bigger picture." Consider changing the toilet paper you buy from chemical-laden tree-based sheets to chemically-clean, sustainable bamboo-based sheets. Each person who does so saves at least one tree a year...and one tree saved is a huge deal considering that about 9.8 million trees are cut down annually for toilet paper.
If your mind says, "Someone is out there getting a handle on it already," consider switching from plastic beverage bottles to sustainable stainless steel. In the USA, over 35 billion single-use plastic water bottles are sent to landfills or incinerated every year. Additionally, less than 30% of these bottles are currently recycled.
If your mind says, "I can't force change into society or people," consider swapping the pesticide-laden produce you buy to organic. According to Earth.org excessive use of pesticides contaminates soil and water, diminishing beneficial insect populations that control pests and lowering the nutritional quality of food. Pesticides can kill not only targeted pests but also beneficial insects such as pollinators like bees and butterflies, and natural pest predators like ladybugs. The decline of these crucial species can lead to reduced pollination, which is vital for many crops and wild plants, resulting in lower yields and compromised food security. This loss of biodiversity can weaken the resilience of ecosystems, making them less able to cope with environmental changes and more susceptible to diseases and pests.
If your mind says, "Some people will never change," consider ditching your plastic garbage bags to biodegradable or compostable ones, or plastic grocery and produce bags to washable reusable cloth ones. Worldmetrics reports that the USA uses 100 billion plastic bags annually with a mere 5% of them being recycled.
Examine your assumptions. Challenge your narratives. Question stories that arise about safety, cost or convenience. Do your research. Plenty of safe, affordable and convenient options exist.
We don't have to make the world change. The world changes as we change.
And we don't have to change everything all at once. We can make one change at a time. We are adaptable. Changes that may feel huge at first pretty quickly become our norm and we wonder why we didn't make it sooner.
It's up to each one of us to be a responsible, kind human. It's easier today than ever before to be wise. We just have to choose it. The more of us who do, the greater our positive impact and the better, safer and more beautiful our lives become.
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