Change is a constant that occurs throughout our lives, whether we desire such change or not. It happens both in our personal lives and in the world around us. Even if, for example, you live in a small town and haven’t changed what you’ve done for a living for over five decades, things like social media have changed, people you know have changed, companies have changed things both big and small. There are obvious and not-so-obvious things happening in our lives that impact us directly and indirectly, all the time. We often rebel against change, but change does not have to be something negative, and what kinds of change we experience is not something that is set in stone.
Change is something that I aim to talk about repeatedly on the RJ’s World Lens podcast, because there are so many layers to change, but right now, I want to share a couple of ways that change can lead to development of self, as well as change within our communities and/or the world! I would say that many feel that whatever changes one does decide to implement, has to bring results in as little time as possible. I totally understand the desire and aim of going the path of least resistance, and there are times where work smarter and not harder, are definitely applicable. Even so, if something wasn’t the “fastest” option, but it was feasible for YOU, the reader, to do it, would you still do it? What if you only changed one thing in your day? I’ll cover two examples with two images below.
Implement small changes in your life!
I am someone who is used to being on his feet all day. One day back in February of 2020, I decided to track how much I was walking at work and throughout the day. I was astonished when I found out that I averaged over 4 miles per day during a 5-day work week. I then realized that I could convert what I was already doing five days a week, into money for different charities through the Charity Miles app. I chose the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and have raised approximately $2,000 for my chosen charity. This is not a paid promotion…I just want to highlight that by simply downloading an app and using it to track my miles when I wake up each morning, then proceeding with life as usual, I am currently making an impact to the world around me. We are able to make such small changes to our lives to make bigger changes in many different ways. Before we trivialize our own impacts, let’s reframe the scope of our change…imagine just four more people came the conclusion that I did in 2020. Now, with all variables being the same, we raised $10,000 dollars for charity between five people. What if it were 100 people? 1000?
The other example was some time ago when I was a guest with a black card member of Planet Fitness. Doing lots of training with my home gym, as well as at different gyms (including PF, some time ago), I thought the idea of raising money through cardio one may already be doing was actually a fantastic idea! It works on multiple levels, because those who already do cardio, could seek out the “pink treadmill” and log their miles and submit their info. Others who may be new and thinking of doing some cardio, would possibly be more inclined to do so if it also has the added benefit of helping others within the community. The change to self, since cardio may already be on the agenda, is actually very minimal. Through doing small things like this with potentially big impacts, people may find themselves in a new position to tackle the bigger things, whatever they are, especially if one wants to expand their comfort zones.
We all have a different starting point in the things we do, whether it be due to upbringing, circumstances, what have you. There’s a lot of things out there that make it seem like “If you just do this, you’ll be bringing in wealth in no time.” — Meanwhile, step 1 is actually step 10 in a long string of complications for someone else. If you are looking to get fit, many may recommend a gym, but there could be social, mental, or physical obstacles for some. The starting point could, instead, be calisthenics, instead of immediately going into barbell squats, deadlifts or bench pressing. Regardless of where on is in life, change just happens. The main point is that you do what works for you to start, and as you monitor your progress, work towards whatever the next steps are. Be sure to check out RJ’s World Lens as I talk in more depth about change and development and possible strategies you can use in your day to day!