The Change-Maker's Creed

You don't think we can change the world. I know we can.

You will tell me that I can't help everywhere. I will show you that I can help somewhere.

You will question, criticize, judge, and hate me because that's what you do. I will take principled, calculated, and small steps forward because that's what I do.

You will show me the statistics, charts, and numbers that show I'm not changing anything. I will take the genuine smile and relief of others as a sign that I am.

You will make individual people doubt their gifts and you will tear at the seams of commonality that bind us. I will rally, inspire, and lead others by building on the common bonds of our humanity.

You will focus on what I can't do or should've done. I will focus on what I can do and what I am doing.

You will condemn me when I rest and scold me when I gain. I will take care of my needs and graciously take the gifts I receive along the way.

You will continue thinking that to share is to lose. I will find that to share is to gain.

You will wait for the right moment, opportunity, or permission to act. I will open the door and see serendipity waiting for me.

You will remember and catalog my mistakes. I will remember the lessons I've learned from experience.

You will let your fear and worry keep you safe and secure on the sidelines of history. I will carry them with me, knowing that there is more to life than sitting comfortably by the fire.

You will reach your final days and see that your inaction and dissuasion were a series of choices you wish you could change. I will be spent but proud of the flourishing life I lived, making this journey better for others.

I am changing the world. Lead, follow, help, or get the hell out of the way.

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This is a wake-up call; I will ring again. Take your first step toward doing epic shit and be the change you want to see.