What's it Going to Take for You to Change Humanity? Lead and be empowered to do enormous things in this world.
By Tim Denning •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Whether you are an entrepreneur or not, you have the power inside of you to change humanity. We all do. Not everyone has to act on it, but more of us need to start leading and be empowered to do enormous things. There are still many challenges to be solved, and the reward for those who take on that challenge is gigantic. It's a sense of fulfillment and purpose that can't be extracted from any other source in our life.
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I'd like to inspire you to become a game changer who improves humanity for the better. I'd like to see your name remembered along with the greats, and my goal with this article is to guarantee you achieve that. Here are the six things you are going to need:
1. The courage of a lion.
Plenty of people laugh at me when I talk in big terms and use phrases like "change humanity." They think to themselves, "Who is this punk ass kid who dares to dream so big?" And it's ok for them to think that. You have the courage to overcome their laughs and doubts. You capable of pushing push through your fear.
No matter what the scenario we are talking about here, changing humanity is huge. The bigger the task, the more impossible it sounds and the more courage you have to have. What we're talking about here is ultimate courage, and despite what you think, any of us can manifest this if we choose to. It's making the choice that is so hard.
2. A ZEN mind.
The barriers you are going to face with your unique challenge are going to be almost impossible. To avoid caving in and giving up like so many brave souls before you, you're going to need a ZEN mind. What does that mean? It means that you are going to have to get your mind in a state where even the worse news is something you can digest and move on from.
It means that nothing will distract you from your mission, and that you will be able to have a completely empty mind when the time is needed. A ZEN mind means that you'll put everything that happens along your journey into perspective, and you'll think before you act. You will no longer behave like a stimulus-response animal. You'll most likely adopt some form of meditation or an activity that brings on mindfulness.
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3. Passion beyond limits.
When your passion comes out of you, the world stands still. Change of any type starts with passion, and you must harness this inside of you. It exists in everyone, but it's like a small fire in the middle of the bush -- no one sees it. What we're aiming for here is a raging fire that shines so brightly through your passion that it's almost inconceivable for it to be true.
By linking your passion to a cause that you believe in with every cell in your body, you'll have a cocktail of momentum that will have the energy to bring people on your journey. Even when you think you've reached the peak of your passion, you're going to need to dig even deeper. There is still more inspiration to be found inside of you, and that's what will unlock that last 5 percent of passion that most of us, including me, hold back.
4. Success in tribes.
So far, we've only talked about you. Changing humanity implies that millions, if not billions of people are going to be affected by your vision for the future. Obviously, you're going to have to get good at building tribes and communities of people. You can't do this entirely by yourself. Yes, you are the face of this change, and you are going to lead this change, but you can't be the entire change. We must all change with you.
5. A cause that can't be ignored.
There are lots of people trying to change humanity, and you'll only succeed if your cause can't be ignored. Your cause has to make all of the so-called "busy people" take notice. Your cause has to make a generation addicted to tech look up from their devices. Our addiction to technology has linked our countries but disconnected us as people.
Your cause has to be more important than our out-of-control lives that are fueled by nutrient-poor foods and a lack of peace. Your cause has to become significant enough to make our "time poor" culture make time for what you have to say. Your cause has to be louder than all of our distractions.
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6. A smile.
Finally, to change humanity, you are going to need a smile that can light up our world. A smile that says you are trustworthy; a smile that communicates you aren't afraid to dream. Smiling is a universal language that we all understand, in every culture, all across our planet. Your smile tells us that you believe what you are saying, you believe in your cause, and that we should too. Your smile tells us that you are truly going to change humanity. You got this.
