Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Dark Joseph Ravine Is Helping To Change Our World

An Interview With Edward Sylvan

Many of my friends and people who were experts in the area of marketing told me it would be a great idea to promote kindness items. They said it can help impact the world in the best way possible. I had a client who purchased my “Kindness for Success” hat and said that people were looking at it and were very interested to know where he purchased it. He said he was very happy to support me and my movement because it was a good cause.

As a part of my series about leaders who are using their social media platform to make a significant social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dark Joseph Ravine.

Dark Joseph Ravine is a world record holder and an inspirational and impactful Canadian influencer who is passionate about using the platforms that come with celebrities to make the world a better place.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I’ve always had a passion for creativity and encouraging others to be
themselves. Being yourself means you be unique in your own way. That’s why I chose to do an online store where I design items and have others design their own items. My end goal in business is focus on creativity along with promoting my kindness mission. Kindness has a strong meaning for all of us therefore we should use it in the best way possible.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?

When I started my online business, I decided to sell branded items with the
“Kindness for Success” logo only. I have a very amazing team locally that are
supporting me in my kindness mission, but I have also decided to allow others
to create their own logo/brand on items that they can buy from my online
store. I feel it is a form of kindness to give people the freedom to paint of
picture of their happiness on items.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I did not have a funny mistake that I made in all reality.

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

My advice to anyone who wants to get into this career path should focus on
what makes them unique from other people in the same path? I believe in all
business paths, finding who you really are and presenting that to the rest of the world is the key ingredient to success. Everyone only wants to see you not you copying someone else. Business is not about getting competitive with others, it’s about helping people with the way you provide services. Another piece of advice is, do not be afraid to make mistakes and fail because that is how we learn. You cannot succeed without failing and falling in business.

Ok super. Let’s now jump to the core focus of our interview. Can you describe to our readers how you are using your platform to make a significant social impact?

I do a lot of motivational work and lessons to help others understand what it
means to be kind to one another and to increase understanding. I feel as if
people understand how kindness and life lessons come a long way, they will be more motivated to learn and improve in their own personal lives. Social media plays a major role in my life because I use it for the purpose of good and to give ideas on how to be better.

Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted by this cause?

Many of my friends and people who were experts in the area of marketing told
me it would be a great idea to promote kindness items. They said it can help
impact the world in the best way possible. I had a client who purchased my
“Kindness for Success” hat and said that people were looking at it and were
very interested to know where he purchased it. He said he was very happy to
support me and my movement because it was a good cause.

Was there a tipping point that made you decide to focus on this particular area? Can you share a story about that?

Being the victim of bullying and growing up with people who enjoyed picking on one another definitely caused me to focus on this particular area. I strongly
believe “what goes around comes around”, therefore it is important to do your
best to treat others the way you want to be treated. A lot of people tend to
follow trends and the leads of others whether it’s good or bad, but for me I will follow my own lead and not do something because of people, but because it is my choice to do it. Even though we can all slip from time to time, as long as we do our best to spread kindness, we are making a difference in the world.

Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?

- There are 3 things that communities/societies/politicians can do to help me
address the root of the problem I am trying to solve. They are:
o Incorporating kindness for success programs in schools, workplaces,
organizations, etc.
o Promoting kindness in order to eliminate the global COVID-19 pandemic.
o Understanding that what happens in the world is a reflection of how we
treat one another.

What specific strategies have you been using to promote and advance this cause? Can you recommend any good tips for people who want to follow your lead and use their social platform for a social good?

Motivational speaking.
- Teaching the importance of gratitude.
- Understanding that life is too short to be running after unimportant matters.
- Focus on a positive direction to make a difference in the world.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. I wish that someone told me not to pay attention to negativity.
2. I wish someone told me that there is much more to business than your message.
3. I wish someone told me to always surround myself with positive people.
4. I wish someone told me to appreciate every moment in my life.
5. I wish someone told me that there will be major failures and falls before
success.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

If there is any move of enormous influence it would be to help people and need and give. We all need help one way or another so if we can change someone’s life for the better, why not? Watching a lot of people helping homeless people definitely inspired me to be a helper and giver. You never know if one day you may need them or what a hero you may be seen as if you help them. Kindness is not just about being good to people, it’s also about doing good things for others that can impact their lives for the better. Of course, that’s not to say that we all need to spend money. Sometimes spending time with people in need and inviting them into your house can be a form of
kindness.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

The life lesson quote that was my favorite was by Mike McMillian “you can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one”. I felt that this quote tells us that we need to understand that in order to achieve success and happiness, we cannot harp on past events or hard times we’ve been through. We need to move forward and go with the flow of time. Harping on the past may lead to unexpected situations that we may regret. Getting over my past was very hard for me because of how hard it was, even till today I still try to forget. I need to give myself the advice
that it’s okay to make mistakes because that is how we learn. If we did not make mistakes, how would we become better people? Sometimes it’s hard, but we all really need to acknowledge this more than anything.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I would definitely want to have a private breakfast or lunch with Oprah Winfrey and for her to see this because she inspired me the most when she said “stop comparing yourself to other people. You’re only on this planet to be you, not someone else’s imitation of you”. Growing up being compared to a lot really caused anger in me and I wish there was some way we can all acknowledge that we are all meant to have different interests, successes, people in our life, etc. If we were all the same there would be no meaning of life. Why do some of us have a hard time being unique in our own way? Being yourself is the best thing ever. I became a lot more respected when I was being myself compared to when I was growing up copying other people, I was very hated. I think this message needs to get out more than anything.

How can our readers further follow your work online ?

Users can further follow my work and stay tuned for my worldwide giveaways I do to show appreciation for supporting me on social media. I am a very big helper and giver:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realdjr/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darkjosephravine
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarkJoeRavine
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realdjr
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsUp9DXG_eBNeR-98YvBkww

This was very meaningful, thank you so much!