The 99% Kind of Change

"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

A few weeks back I was planning on writing a post about people that add quotes to their Facebook pages about changing the world. You know the ones. The "dance like no one's watching", "try something new everyday" types.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized something.

Less than 1% of change in the world comes from monumental choices, inventions, causes, political movements, etc. Those are the ones that grab all the headlines. The ones that receive awards, and are placed on pedestals. And rightly so. Great achievement deserves recognition.

But what about the other 99% of change? The kind of change that comes slowly, sporadically, but steadily from people all around us. The kind that comes from people that post things like "Live. Laugh. Love." on their wall.

Robert F. Kennedy said it best. "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

I think that's what Gandhi meant as well. He didn't mean that we each need to tackle a global issue head on (though I truly respect those who take up that sort of cause.)

Because in pursuit of causing one great change (the 1%) you can miss the 99% of opportunities all around you to affect others in a positive way.

Regardless of what your Facebook wall says, why not look for opportunities at work, at home, and all around you to impact people and cause real change? The 99% kind that will never win you any awards, but can have a huge impact on someone's life.