{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"How to Change the World (Reboot): An Antidote to Apathy and Despair in an Age of Doom and Gloom","description":"Today\u2019s episode is a timely reboot from the archives. It\u2019s a reminder we can all benefit from and something we tend to lose sight of all too easily. It\u2019s an antidote to apathy and despair in an age of doom and gloom.   Doom and Gloom Abounds If environmental armageddon doesn\u2019t get us first, then a hostile nation\u2019s plans for global domination will. Maybe the Republicans will sink the ship and all hands will be lost. Or maybe it\u2019ll be the Democrats doing. What about AI--the potential for hyper-intelligent machines to take over the world and eradicate or enslave humanity? You thought COVID was tough? Just wait until the next super virus is unleashed by nameless, faceless, malevolent forces plotting our demise even as we speak.  Take your pick. There are no shortage of dire, doom and gloom scenarios to choose from these days. And the media and the internet serve up heaping quantities of it onto our psychological plates if we get in line for the 24\/7 buffet.  I\u2019m NOT saying, BTW, that there aren\u2019t genuine reasons to be concerned about the state of the world. There are--and, there always have been. In the modern digital age, though, it\u2019s possible to be aware of most of the challenges facing the world--or, at least, the existing portrayals of those challenges--and to be aware of them most of the time. That\u2019s infinitely more knowledge and awareness than any one of us can hold well in our hearts and minds or possibly act upon. And if we\u2019re not careful, it can lead us to despair, despondency, and inaction.  Where does that leave us, then? What CAN we do?  Good questions.  How do we change the world?   It\u2019s Simple, Actually I\u2019m not going to bury the lead here. Let\u2019s get right to the point.  To change the world, simply be the best \u201cyou\u201d that you can possibly be.  Profoundly simple. And FAR from easy. If it was easy, more of us would embrace it and live it out.  It\u2019s also far from a new idea. \u201cBe the change you want to see in the world\u201d is a statement derived from ideas that Gandhi put forth. As is \u201cif you want to change the world, go home and love your family\u201d--that one derived from Mother Teresa\u2019s way of thinking. Today, in his book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, Jordan Peterson sounds a similar note when he exhorts us all to \u201cget our own house in perfect order\u201d before we criticize the world or, by extrapolation, try to change the whole world.  It\u2019s not a new idea, but it seems to be one that needs to be revived in our hearts and minds these days. We forget. And we get swept up in the myriad of massive global concerns and take our eye off the ball right in front of us--the only ball that is really ours to carry. The ball of our One and Only Life, our unique path, and the purposes we alone can accomplish along that path.  We need to return to this simple idea and double-down on it in our own lives. As Natalie Niksa said in the previous episode, \u201cwe\u2019ve lost our way because of all the shiny objects.\u201d And in returning to this priority, we\u2019ll revitalize our personal power, passion, and purpose and reduce our sense of paralysis and powerlessness in the face of all of the world\u2019s woes. Then, we can really get to work, right where we are, with what we have.     Breaking It Down  But what does it mean to \u201cbe the best you that you can possibly be,\u201d and how does that actually change the world?  It means taking radical responsibility for yourself. It means working your ass off to discover and express your unique self as fully as you can and bring your unique gifts into the world. It means dreaming the dreams that exist only within your heart and doing your damndest to fulfill them. It means doing the work to become the person you were made to be and live the life you were made to live. It means working your ass off to be the best spouse, partner, parent, neighbor, and employee, employer, or entrepreneur that you can be. It means dragging yourself over the finish line of your life utterly depleted AND utterly satisfied because you left it all out on the field.  For some, those efforts will yield global recognition and impact. For others of us, our efforts will only ever be known among those closest to us. Guess what? The scope and scale of our impact is irrelevant and, frankly, none of our business. It\u2019s not even knowable, in fact. We have no way of knowing how much of a difference our life will make--now, and in the years and generations to come. Our lives ripple into eternity, just like those before us ripple into ours.    Keep It Positive Make no mistake, though: There\u2019s no such thing as a neutral or no-impact life.  We don\u2019t get to control IF our life will make an impact or know how much of an impact we ultimately make, but we do get to influence what KIND of impact we\u2019ll make. Will it be negative because we shrank back, didn\u2019t take full responsibility for our One and Only life, and failed to show up--and our absence was a loss for those who needed us to show up? Or will it be positive--not because we showed up perfectly all the time, but rather because we did our very best to simply show up, to bring the best of ourselves to this fleeting life, day in and day out?  Carl Jung said that the greatest burden a child can take into adulthood is the unlived life of their parent.  In a slightly sillier context but with no less relevance, in the Lego movie Ninjago, Lloyd the good ninja tells his dad, the movie\u2019s arch villain, that he ruined his life. To which his dad, Lord Garmadon, replies, scoffingly, \u201cHow could I ruin your life? I wasn\u2019t even there.\u201d    But How Does It Change the World?  If all of that at least makes a dent in understanding HOW to \u201cbe the best you that you can possibly be,\u201d then that leaves the question of how it actually changes the world.  When we take responsibility for being the best versions of ourselves that we can possibly be, then we change ourselves. When we change ourselves, we change our world--the little part of the world that we call our own. Our family life changes, our work life changes, our community life changes. Then, as our world changes, by definition the world changes as the ripples move outward from us at the epicenter.  Change your life...change your world...change the world. That, my friends, is how we change the world.    Buckle Up, Buttercup The good news is that it\u2019s so simple. Our primary focus becomes simply evolving ourselves. As I said at the beginning, though, it\u2019s far from easy. There\u2019s no journey more challenging. But there\u2019s also no journey more completely satisfying and worthwhile. And if you\u2019re looking for more purpose and meaning, this journey will fill that cup to overflowing.  So buckle up, buttercup, and get to work becoming the best you that you can possibly be.  And remember, you are going to die. But you\u2019re not dead yet. So get after it!   Change the World in The Graveyard Group The Graveyard Group was created precisely for the purpose of helping you become the very best you that you can be. It combines the unsurpassed motivational horsepower of the Mortality Mindset with the force multiplying influence of your very own confidential board of advisors. Break free from the status quo, become who you were made to be, and live the life you were made to live.  New groups for men and women are forming now, and both in-person and virtual options are available.  Visit my website to learn more and schedule a free 1-1 coaching session to determine if The Graveyard Group is right for you.  BTW, this episode pairs well with episode 036, The Global Fish Pond Crisis, because it offers a solution to the Global Fish Pond Crisis. And no, episode 036 is not about a literal fish pond crisis; it\u2019s about the formidable challenges of constructing solid identities for ourselves in this modern, globalized age. If you haven\u2019t checked it out, and this one was meaningful to you, then I encourage you to do so.  I\u2019m so glad you tuned in today. Don\u2019t forget to follow this show, and I\u2019ll see you next time on Andrew Petty is Dying.   Follow Andrew Petty is Dying & Leave a Review Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher   If You Liked This Episode, I Recommend These, Too Ep. 014 | Dare to Dream Again: The Antidote to a Mediocre Life Ep. 016 | The Question That Changes Everything: The Go-to Tool for Living the Life You Were Made to Live Ep. 022 | Tune Out to Tune In: Hearing & Heeding Your Inner Voice in a World Full of Noise Ep. 025 | The Contentment Conundrum: Cracking the Code Ep. 029 | Dragon Slayer: One Man's Tale of Heroic Life Renovation Ep. 035 | Build Your Personal Owner\u2019s Manual: Understand Yourself Better, Enjoy Yourself More, and Live the Life You were Made to Live ","author_name":"Andrew Petty is Dying","author_url":"https:\/\/andrewpettyisdying.com","html":"