When I look deep down inside, I find myself to be somewhat of a pessimist. Not just any pessimist, though – an anxious pessimist. “Anxiety girl,” able to jump to the worst conclusion in a single bound. I usually don’t watch the news, because I don’t want to hear about how the world outside my own head is messed up. When there are issues inside my head, it’s just that. Inside my head. My problem. When there is a war overseas, an oil spill, or a school shooting, it’s the world that’s messed up, and that’s not something any amount of meddling on my part can fix. That’s the secret to life, though. Don’t meddle in outside affairs. Find your circle of friends, or even just acquaintances, and create a community that works together to make each other’s lives better.
Last semester, I was in a program called “The Art of Leadership.” In this program, I got to spend Wednesday nights with fourteen other student leaders from my campus. We did things like take personality tests and learn about ethics, and we were taught to use our leadership styles to better ourselves. And, to my surprise, after two weeks, my outlook on this world that we all live in brightened. Because of this room on campus. Because of these fifteen people who were working to actually change the world. And, one week later, I realized that I was one of those people. I could change the world.
Since that realization, I have noticed all the little ways we can change the world for the better every day. Every time someone smiles at me, my world is a better place. Or when someone gives me a compliment. Even these small things make the world seem a little brighter. So, now it is my goal to change the world one person a day, one day at a time. I go out of my way to interact with people at school, at work, at the coffee shop, and even on the bus.
When I start feeling down and begin to believe that I am just one person, that I am shy, and that there is no way I could possibly make any real difference, I fight back with a mantra:
From the beginning, I’ve always been shy,
But I knew that someday I’d learn to fly,
As days go on and events unfold,
I know I’ll someday change the world.
And even if I’m the only person doing this, I still will leave a legacy. I will change the world. There is hope for the future because I am working to create a better world every day.
Written by a Youth MOVE Massachusetts guest blogger
