I’m going to take you back in time for a moment. All the way back to the mid-90s.
I remember sitting in the back of my mother’s car, sobbing.
“What’s wrong Lauren?” My mother asked in a concerned voice.
Between tears, and gasps for air, I managed to cry out, “The rainforest is being cut down and I am so sad for all the animals and the trees!”
I had recently watched a show about the rainforest on the Discovery Channel. It was all about how the rainforest was being threatened by humans… and thousands of animal and plant species were losing their homes and their lives.
Even though I was only 6 years old, there was a part of me that could feel the deep pains as trees were ripped from the earth, and animals were being forced from their homes. I couldn’t understand why anyone would let this happen.
I didn’t understand the politics.
I didn’t understand the environmental impact.
I didn’t understand the power dynamics at play.
But I knew in my little heart that cutting down rainforests was so terribly wrong.
I knew I had to do “something”.
And at that moment, I became a “change-maker”.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized the word change-maker is the word I use most often to describe what I do, and who I work with.
So, what is a change-maker?
It’s simple.
A change-maker is someone who is committed to making change.
To go a bit deeper, a changemaker is someone who sees a problem and takes action. They make it their mission to change the circumstances that allow systems of oppression, violence, and injustice to occur.
And guess what?
You are a change-maker.
You see, every single person on this planet has the ability to be a catalyst for positive change.
But here’s the thing… there’s so much distracting us from what really matters.
Netflix. Endless scrolling. Celebrity gossip.
It’s non-stop.
And to fully embody our internal change-maker energy, we have to slow down.
We have to slow down enough to actually process the information coming. We have to examine where it comes from. And we have to think deeply about who benefits from our consumption of it.
Slowing down also allows us to come back to ourselves and make informed decisions about where we need to make changes.
It’s a tough lesson — But when we are willing to change our own harmful behaviors and beliefs, we become leaders in our community.
It’s much easier to advocate for everyone else to change, but the best way to lead, is to show up and make those changes yourself.
Even though there are a million movements, organizations, and communities out there fighting for change, it has to start with us.
Because if each of us would look at our own behavior, examine how we could do better, and then live in a way that honors our vision for change… The world would be a very different place.
So now I want to flashback to little Lauren, and her vision for change.
She felt in her 6-year-old heart that something had to be done.
So she learned about recycling.
She made all her friends watch Ferngully.
And she became an avid advocate for Sloths and Elephants.
She still had a lot to learn about conservation and environmentalism, but little Lauren was showing up.
Now a slightly older Lauren helps business owners create social, environmental, and economic change with their work, every single day.
I think little Lauren would be proud.
I still have a lot to learn about activism and social justice. But the truth is we all do.
If everyone waited until they were 100% ready and informed to start doing the work, we would never get anywhere.
Change-makers often walk along an edge that hasn’t been mapped out. They try new things, take, and learn through action.
Embodying that change-maker energy requires us to show up messy and imperfect, and to learn as we go.
So I invite you to spend some time this week reflecting on what your vision for change is, and strategize about how you can start taking action NOW to bring that change to life.
Even if it’s imperfect action.
Even if it’s messy.
Because each step will bring you closer to that vision. And together we can create better systems and a more just world.
Love + Liberation
Lauren Elizabeth