What one word could change the world?

Written by Kerrie Clarke & Vicki Henricks.

There are lots of possibilities. Even ‘food’ is a game changer for people living in poverty around the world. But what would that take? ‘Commitment’, ‘focus’, ‘organisation’ – all powerful words that when put into action would make all the difference to these people’s lives.

What about ‘sustainability’? What if we all lived within our means, within the planet’s means? That would certainly make an impact on our impact. We would need to rethink concepts like unlimited growth, fast fashion, buy now pay later. Re-evaluate supply chains that take more than they give … that super cheap item… who pays the real cost? Sustainability is a definite contender as a world changer. It would take every one of us to make conscious choices, at every level.

How do we this? How do we mobilise enough people to make a difference?

Effective and visionary leadership. Truly inspirational leadership could and does change the world. The kind of leadership that makes us look forward to a shared horizon, instead of competing against each other for outcomes we may or may not even want.

A new way of working together; collaborating to solve problems and innovate creatively. Embracing diversity to ensure our ideas and solutions have the full participation and input they need to withstand robust testing from the complex and multilayered issues we face.

Without communication, we will achieve nothing. The kind of communication that connects and builds understanding. That dispels fears around differences and provides the fuel for collaboration and leadership. Less talking, more listening. Less noise, more rhythm.

Tapping into what we really believe, clarifying what we really want, being bold enough to speak out. We talk a lot these days about authenticity. Without honesty in who we are, attempts at real communication are futile, even insulting – to ourselves, to each other. Speaking our truth requires vulnerability.

And it can be scary. And it requires courage. But even more it needs compassion and forgiveness. If we can’t forgive ourselves or others we carry the hurt in our anger and fear. If we have no compassion for ourselves or others there is little motivation to be authentic. Without compassion, we lose the ability to be connected to ourselves, each other and our environment. And when we are aren’t connected, we are alone and weak. Joyless. Self- centred. Destructive. Powerless.

Changing the world takes all these things, but it all starts and ends with LOVE. Love for ourselves, love for each other, love for the environment. Love for those who suffer, those we struggle with, and those who hold on to keeping things the same. The lovers, the haters, the strangers. It is love that connects us, gives us strength, drives our empathy, keeps us getting up every day to make choices about how we show up. With love, we can change the world every day, and make it a better place in every way.