Think You Can Change the World?
Do you wake up and think you can make a difference in the world? Or do you think you’re too small to make a difference?
I’m reminded of the Margaret Mead quote that I’ve shared several times and have seen many other folks share as well.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
― Margaret Mead
I have been inspired by many people over the years and one person that has been inspiring me for the past 6 months is Lissa Rankin, I’ve written about her many times. Yesterday, she posted a blog about how to change the world with $100. There’s a fair bit of background to the story that I won’t share here, though I highly encourage you to read her post http://lissarankin.com/how-to-change-the-world-with-100.
For those not reading her post, she was given $100 at a summit she attended (all participants were given the same $100) with a note instructing her to use it to change the world. She bounced the idea around in her head for a while then came up with her plan. She posted her story on her web site, with a plan to pay it forward. She put out an offer to ask people how they would use $100 to change the world, with the commitment to give her $100 to the cause deemed to be the most appropriate.
I responded as follows:
Lissa,
What a wonderful idea, and thanks for sharing. First off, how do I get you $100 to contribute to someone else? I’m in for that.
And for my ask, hhmmmm? My journey is taking me down an unbelievable path of learning about the mind-body-soul connection and how dis-ease manifesting in our physical bodies is connected to our minds and souls. I have learned a lot and met a lot of people along the way. My journey of healing from my own autoimmune dis-ease diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is continuing, and I am learning a lot about how to treat the root cause, rather than just treating the symptoms. I currently share a blog highlighting my lessons and beliefs, and I look forward to sharing my journey as well as my ultimate success to a much larger crowd, as lots of people are looking for these types of answers.
What would I do with $100 if I were selected as your winner? I’d do two things.
1. I would run quickly to the bank and deposit it in my bank account. That would represent the first $100 that I had taken in for sharing my story, and it would serve as the reminder to me that there is value in the story that I have to share. It would be my constant reminder that someone believed in me and encouraged me to keep telling my story. The deposit slip would be posted on my wall as that reminder.
2. I would repeat the type of thing that you are doing right here. I would put another $100 out as an offer to others to do the same 2-step process. Heck, I might even decide to put out 5 different offers.
Namaste,
Ken
This morning I woke up and was going to see what type of other feedback she had received on her post and the thought that crossed my mind was “why should I wait to see if I was the chosen responder before deciding to do something?” So I’m not going to wait. In my two-step process that I articulated in my comment above, I can do step 2 without needing step 1 to be completed. So I’m putting out the exact same challenge, I am unabashedly stealing her idea … and I’m doing that because I think it’s so good. Here it is.
How Will You Use $100 To Change The World?
In the comments below, tell me the story of how you would use $100. From the stories you tell me, I’ll choose one person and pay my $100 investment forward.
But let’s not stop there. I challenge the rest of you. Read all the comments with me. I’ll give people one week to tell their stories, then, next Friday morning, I’ll announce in the comments section who will get my $100 investment.
But I suspect we’ll have more than 1 person who could use $100. That’s where the rest of you come in.
Help me out! Who in our community might you invest in? Are there others willing to send $100 to help support someone else and their dream of a better world? I suspect we have investors and visionary world-changers among our readers. How can we help each other?
So tell me, how would you change the world with $100?
Do you think you can change the world? I think you can.
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Namaste, Ken
Written by Ken
Ken Jaques describes himself as a Health Care Evolutionary, Community Builder, and Speaker. True healing begins when we treat root causes instead of just masking symptoms. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 2008, Ken has experienced many facets of the health care system. As “the only patient who ever lost their hair on this low of a dosage of chemotherapy” – as spoken by his rheumatologist – Ken has been on an amazing journal of self-discovery, a journey of true healing. In his blog, Ken shares stories of how his beliefs have changed over the past few years, and how they are still changing. Is it possible that our bodies can heal themselves? Do we really have to live without hope after we receive a chronic illness diagnosis? These are the types of questions that Ken encourages people to ask themselves as they embark on their own physical or emotional healing journey.
Ken is creating a platform to connect People, Patients, Practitioners, Partners and Promoters, enabling a collaborative effort to help shift the focus on health from I-llness to We-llness. Check out the pilot at www.myHealthyCommunity.ca.
“When ‘I’ is replaced with ‘we’, even I-llness becomes WE-llness” ~ Malcolm X
A few years ago, we offered $ 18 to various folks to make a difference. (We actually provided this to 7 folks- since there were 7 in our family- and we each would be involved in “changing the world”). The commitment for each recipient was to do a small project- and in return they would have to provide $ 5 to two other folks to continue. (They were welcome to do more. However, we provided our funds to those in developing nations, where we knew the $ 5 would go a long way- as would their $ 8.) We can only hope this continued. It’s about time for us to do that again- thanks for the reminder.
I think I would use it to buy seeds and supplies for 2-3 low income people who would honestly use them to grow foods they could use to supplement their groceries. It wouldn’t change the world but maybe they could pass on any excess food harvested.
What a wonderful idea Ken, thank you for paying it forward. I am on my journey to change the world by empowering young internet entrepreneurs who are in a group known as at risk youth. I have developed a program (which is in it’s final testing phase) to help young people identify the things they are passionate about and to build an internet business around those passions so they create a happy life.
I am focusing mainly on foster youth who will soon be aging out of the system and on homeless youth with the goal to end youth homelessness. These children often have serious issues that impact their ability for socialization and forming healthy attachments. They often cannot maintain a job because of these issues, not because they aren’t capable. I want to show them that they can create a happy life by doing what they love and create economic self sufficiency.
And no matter who you give the $100 to, thank you for paying it forward. Our world will be a better place because of it.
Well done Ken! You really had me thinking and I was guided to respond to your idea. I recently discovered a Burlington Community Dinner which is held once weekly (on Friday evenings) at a local church. It is spearheaded and supervised by a small group of individuals who simply want to contribute to our community. I mistakenly believed that I lived in a relatively affluent community but soon discovered (and was humbled by) the fact that wasn’t so. I volunteered to help out and discovered that there was, in fact, a need to help those less fortunate and I have enjoyed my interactions with the many who volunteer as well as those who attend the dinners.
Each week there is a need for additional food, clothing, toiletries (especially baby needs like diapers etc.), snacks for children who attend school but aren’t able to bring a snack etc. I continue to contribute myself but I know that additional funds are always needed and I believe the $100 would be a terrific contribution!
ALSO – I am willing to support someone else for $100 – count me in! This is very exciting – I can “feel” the momentum building Ken – let’s create a better world in a week! Light and appreciation to you and your incredible vision!
Hey Ken,
I would buy a laptop for a child in a developing country. There’s a company called One Laptop Per Child, one.laptop.org and they make child-ready laptops for $200 We could buy half of one with $100!
I know computers made a significant impact on my life, I can only hope that they would have the same impact on others.
Lissa and Ken…wonderful idea!
I spend my work life asking people to give to a variety of differnt causes. Presently, I’m focused on giving within the field of education because I truly believe that the philanthropists and world changers of tomorrow are in our schools today.
However, with your $ 100, I’d challenge my children to identify how they would use it to change the world. We’ve hit some financially challenging times at our house – and have scaled back our philanthropy considerably. If that $ 100 can be used to educate children on how to give; help them identify possible ways and places to give and also make a difference — it’s impact will be doubled. I would use that $ 100 as a matching gift – so that every dollar they raise towards the cause they choose – will be matched up to $ 100.00 and then I’d help them raise it!
I hope your summer is going well,
XO
Maryann
Hi Ken,
Yes I think I can help change the world. I would have 100, one dollar loonies. With each loonie I would go to either a grocery store, shopping mall or even a our community hospital. I would then go to one of these locations and hand out a loonie for every good deed I would either encounter from others to one another or in a good deed gesture to an act they just did for a positive good deed they have unconditionally offer to someone else. I would then give them the loonie and ask for that individual to pay it forward and ask for them to individually pass this loonie onto another person who has done a good deed and explain what my intention of the loonie meant so they could possibly be able to continue this on… The dollar loonie would represent a value and because of its color , it’s weight in gold with the passing along of a positive good deed recognized.. I think we can all help a little at a time… Rose
Thanks to all who responded online as well as to me personally. Check out this link to see who were identified as World Changers — http://kenjaques.com/?p=674.
Namaste,
Ken