Small Acts Change The World

"How do you change the world? One random act of kindness after another."

As much as world change may be about politics or economics, at its heart it is about people helping people.

It’s about emotion, engagement and persuasion.

It’s about implementing ideas that are imagined, communicated and delivered in ways that move individuals, communities and whole societies to stop, start or change the way they think and act.

It’s about love.

And while the currency — time, energy, money — changes from issue to issue, the fundamentals of the transactions remain constant: one party inspires another to realize a better world.

And to act.

It is my heartfelt desire to present you with a simple idea…an idea which if we all get behind can change the world.

Allow me to explain…

We are living links in a chain of wisdom handed down through history.

One axiom developed in that chain is the Golden Rule:

“Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”.

When we show kindness to another a bridge is built and by following the Golden Rule to its logical conclusion, you will see that you have formed relations with the many people for whom you harbor good feelings.

If more of us tried to build bridges, there’s no telling where such kindness might take us.

It’s important to connect one’s life with the larger whole.

Without integration there is no meaning, and life without meaning yields despair.

Connections between people grow very quickly.

When you give, you have made an investment in another human being.

As with any other investment, you will naturally wish to protect it.

By following the Golden Rule we give each other a support system, a network, and the comfort of believing that, even when one falls, there is something or someone to fall back on.

Our sense of worth is tied to our self-esteem. To esteem something means to elevate it.

So how do we elevate our own worth?

How do we esteem ourselves?

Think of the items you value either for their aesthetic or functional quality.

A non-functioning grandfather clock is still valued because it is a beautiful piece of furniture. A non-functioning can opener is discarded because it is worthless.

Our value in life depends on our function. But just what is that function?

The answer is simple and beautiful.

The periods of emptiness when we search for the “meaning of it all” begin to fill with acts of kindness.

Most of us ask ourselves questions of purpose that go beyond the routines of our daily lives.

"When one begins to purposefully perform acts of kindness, the spirit changes and soon doing good deeds becomes a focal point for our life; doing good begins to be the same as feeling good."

The obvious answer is to be kind to one another, to help someone in need, to perform good deeds.

“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice” — John Templeton

Neither wealth, fame, prestige, nor anything external can give us more than a fleeting sense of satisfaction.

The only true lasting happiness is within ourselves. Unfortunately, this is too often the last place any of us look.

The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and hands and then work outward from there.

If we improve ourselves by doing good for others, we live our lives in the best way possible.

Good deeds really do have the power to change us.

We should never consider any act that changes us as futile.

No good deed we have done can be taken from us.

Good deeds have the magic to turn sadness to singing and despair to joy.

Just one small selfless act benefits both the giver and the receiver.

Here’s a great way to initiate that idea and start changing the world in a positive way…

INTRODUCING…THE 7-DAY CHANGE THE WORLD CHALLENGE

I’d like you to join me in what I’m calling the 7 Day Change the World Challenge.

Your task is to engage in seven days of random acts of benevolence.

The objective is to positively and significantly impact the lives of seven or more people over the next seven days.

Your Reward?

It’s intrinsic and it’s huge.

Your reward will be the good feeling that comes from helping another person and in nurturing benevolent acts in others.

HERE ARE THE RULES

1. For each of the next seven days…identify a person or group of people whom you would like to help.

* You can choose one person for each of the seven days, and you can also recruit others to participate in the challenge with you.

2. Be intentional and think of a special act of benevolence that you would like to do for this person.

3. Be creative, use your melon, and think of ways to use your time, talents or special gifts to blow someone’s mind, or simply put a beautiful smile on their face.

4. Remain anonymous.

5. Leave a note for the beneficiary of your benevolence. Ask them to “Pay it Forward” and do a good deed for someone else. (This part is key)

Why Should You Participate?

Serial reciprocity is of critical importance on four accounts.

The first, and most obvious, is that it widens the circle of giving, allowing recipients to become givers by doing good deeds for another.

Second, the deeds of these “new” givers perpetuate benevolent action and ensure its place in society.

Third, serial reciprocity is essential to the transmission of benevolent values from one generation to the next.

Finally, the ultimate test of the impact of YOUR LIFE is twofold…whether the world YOU leave behind is qualitatively different from that which YOU inherited…and what contribution YOU made to that change.

Therefore by participating in the 7 Day Change the World Challenge…you are helping to make the world a better place and inspiring others to do the same.

I hope that by sharing this understanding of serial reciprocity and by offering it as a challenge, that it illuminates benevolent motives in people throughout the world.

If everyone who reads this message chooses to participate in this challenge, the net result will be a positive deposit into the lives of millions of people throughout the world.

I believe that once people recognize the importance of serial reciprocity and consider its implications, it becomes difficult to imagine daily life without engaging in random acts of benevolence.

So what are you waiting for?

Use this form to begin your 7 Day Change the World Challenge today…and be sure to pass this message on to everyone in your address book.

The 100 Day Challenge is a rapid execution system used by more than 675,000 high-achievers to achieve life-changing results in 100 days. Don’t do it unless you want spectacular results.

The strategies you’ll learn in the 100 Day Challenge have elected a president, grown non-profit causes, won gold medals and fueled movements. Now it’s your turn to win bigger faster!