And the Winner Is: Change

Just after I began this blog, back in February, I declared 2008: Year of Change.

Little did I know what that would entail. Let's take a look back at some of the major change agents of 2008 (via Seth Godin)...

1. A virtually unknown politician, a black man who's father was from Africa, was elected president, in a landslide
2. Fidel Castro finally stepped down
3. Online video reached the tipping point, Americans watched more video online than on TV
4. An earthquake in Myanmar killed more than 100,000 people
5. The economy experienced a once in a century meltdown (and subsequent season of bailouts)
6. Apple again revolutionizes the mobile market with the launch of iPhone 3G and their online App Store
7. Britney Spears had a hit record
8. China became the fourth largest economy in the world

What a year! I think we all need to take a collective deep breath and accept the fact that we're living in a volatile time. From Wall Street to Main Street, change is in the air. And it's here to stay.


Any predictions on what 2009 will bring?

Vote Obama

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

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.

Change Costs Just $25 and 10 minutes

Today is October 15. But today is also Blog Action Day 2008. Today thousands of bloggers all around the world are talking about one thing: poverty.

To be fair I don't have much experience with this subject, and if you're reading this you don't either. But we have only to see a few pictures on the news to know it's real.

In the past, it was easy to look at these graphic images and ask (or more likely assume) that our government was doing their part to provide aid to some of these third world countries.

But no longer. Today, each of us has the ability to act and directly impact a family's life across the globe. Thanks to microlending sites like, Kiva.org, you can contribute directly to the impoverished.

If you have $25 and 10 minutes, you can send a loan to an entrepreneur in a third world country immediately. Within 6-12 months, you get your money back and you can then lend it to the next person.

Kossi Agbadzi is married and the father of 5 children. Kossi buys and resells coffee and cocoa products in Danyi, a village located approximately 175 kilometers from Lomé, the capital of Togo. With this loan, he wishes to buy more products for resale.

Go ahead. What are you waiting for? Stop talking about changing the world, and change one person's world today. Right now.

I just did. It took ten minutes to loan $25 to Kossi. He's now at 79% of his $1,050 goal and that much closer to a better life for him and his family.

2008: Year of Change

With the exception of a few, most New Year's Days come and go as I resolve not to declare a 365 day long resolution. This year was no different. In the weeks leading up to December 31st, I asked myself if there was one resounding thing I wanted to focus on this year.

I thought of my desire to becoming a better listener, to being more patient, to traveling more, or to reading God's Word on a more regular basis (...or to actually find my Bible for that matter.) I digress.

But as we entered 2008, one single word kept resonating in my mind: change. This year we will see change in the White House, the economy, possibly Iraq, and hopefully change in politics as usual. But beyond Washington, and on a more personal level, I hope to see change over the next 10 1/2 months. At work, with friends, and most importantly with myself.

Change can be a mixed bag of tricks. Some is good and some is bad, the only difference is how we choose to deal with it. Every day (slowly but surely) we are changing...for better or worse. Either we are heading towards a slightly better person than we were the day before, or slightly worse. It's our choice.

I for one am looking forward to 2008: Year of Change. There's sure to be good times and bad times, often beyond our control. But at the end of the day, how we deal with the ups and downs will determine what shoes we'll be wearing at the end of the year.