Change Your Life, Change the World

The inward journey sheds light. It also casts shadows. Thankfully, poets, philosophers and sages through the ages give us plenty of good guidance. But even with their offerings of maps, instructions, rich musings and many luminous metaphors, the search for meaning and self-improvement can be a daunting job. And if you’re on a mission-driven path, there appears to be no escape. Meaningful change invariably leads us to an inward path.

As Rumi, the great13th century Persian poet, Sufi mystic and teacher, succinctly put it:

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise so I’m changing myself.”

Change makers, and seekers can be found contributingneverywhere in the vineyards of life. We’re in the helping and healing professions and the arts. We grow up to become faith leaders and teachers. We head up social enterprises and charities. We contribute in the fields of education, advocacy and the media, just to name a few. Some of us refer to our work as “callings.” But it’s only a matter of time before we discover being called to change the world is much easier than the job of changing ourselves. Seriously, changing the world and yourself can be a handful. Here are five pearls to take with you as you become the change you wish to see in the world.

1.

Inner change takes courage and clear lenses. This is because we must look at ourselves honestly; seeing the dark as well as the light side of the forces that energize and color our personalities and behavior. For example, the same drive and tenacity that may have helped you overcome obstacles and challenges may show up as stubbornness when you refuse to let go of habits and “things” that do not serve your best interests. Using your lenses to focus on the faults of others, blaming them for your disappointments and unhappiness, may seem easy — for a while. But eventually we learn this is a self-defeating pattern in the long run. It blocks your lessons. And don’t we all have a few to learn in this life?

2.

It’s all about you. It’s not about you. Working on inner change might feel narcissistic, egoistic or even contradictory. Rest assured, it’s not. As 20th century philosopher, theologian and author, Howard Thurman, who mentored and taught American civil rights icon and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., informed us: inner and outer transformation are inseparable. Personal and social change make a complete whole. They’re two sides of the same breath — the inhale and the exhale. So it’s absolutely all about you and at the same time the world in which we live. Remember change is not a dichotomy. It’s a dynamic.

3.

Water your spirit. Nurture your soul. We all have free will and the power to make choices in any given moment. The spiritual approach to self-awareness and renewal point is inward. It is also an option on the journey of self-exploration. Best-selling author and spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson reminds us that we’re all spiritual, whether we’re aware of it or not. She says, “The spiritual path is simply the journey of living our lives. Everyone is on a spiritual path; most people just don’t know it.” When it’s a choice, we can begin to consciously develop a more intimate relationship with Divinity, ourselves and humanity. Having a faith tradition — or a spiritual framework — can serve as a base for deeper exploration, discovery and learning. Read scriptures, other sacred texts and poetry. Worship and commune with others who share your vision and values. Prayer and meditation, as practices in the privacy of your own home, also help nurture and deepen the place from which we engage with ourselves, the people in our lives and our work in the world.

4.

Listen to your wake-up calls. Sometimes our wake-up calls come in the form of broken relationships, loss of loved ones, failures and health problems — but not always. Many of us make it a practice to keep our dials turned to learning mode in the laboratory of life. We are consciously self-aware and attentive. This is known as mindfulness, and it is a skill that we can develop. In whatever form your lessons come, it’s important to pay attention. They hold the potential to bring us greater wisdom, joy, peace, freedom and more. They can also give us the insights we need to cultivate more of the understanding, compassion and kindness we need in our personal lives, and the lives of the people around us.

5.

Keep a balanced perspective. Of course, there are times when outward changes are in order. Changing bad policies, moving to a new location, buying a new possession or entering a new relationship may help us a breakthrough to the next level. But we have to look no further than the institutions around us, and situations within our families and among friends to see what happens when we drag the same, old negative patterns into fresh, new situations. The material world is temporal.

Lasting change comes from within the heart of humanity. Health problems and our own bodies are stark reminders — for even the most hardened cynics — of the fate that awaits the accoutrements of the physical world. Our inner realms, however, are endless and profound. They offer us vast wells of resources for our personal renewal on the journey in the here and now.

6.

Don't forget to laugh. Science is catching up to what we know intuitively and from human experience. Laughter is good for our health. It helps heal our minds, bodies and spirits. Ghandi is said to have had a great sense of humor. Nelson Mandela — the South African anti-apartheid revolutionary who became President of South Africa after serving 27 years as a political prisoner there is remembered by family and friends as a man who loved to laugh. “Appearances matter, and remember to smile,” he advised.

Joy springs from within when your thoughts, words and actions line up. Harmony generates more energy and power for you to communicate from a place of strength, credibility and authenticity. Incongruencies, on the other hand, show up in mixed messages or worst, insincerity and phoniness.

Personal and social transformation are far too serious undertakings to be handled without the aplomb of a healthy sense humor.

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