If You Think You Can Change the World or Other People, You Might Be Trying Too Hard

To inspire others to follow your lead, you must first evolve and become the change.

Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

For years, I believed I could change the world — or at least that I could give people a makeover for their hearts and minds.

You can swap your clothes, move to a new place, and even find a new partner — Mr. or Ms. Right, or right now works as well. But trying to change someone else’s heart and mind? It’s just not going to happen. That’s their job, not yours.

That doesn’t mean you can’t influence how they think and act, especially if you really want to make a difference in the world.

What if you’ve got the plans, the philosophy, and the passion? How do you nudge people to think and act differently? If you can help solve someone else’s problems, won’t they just see the light and change their ways?

Trying to change someone is like attempting to herd cats.

It’s frustrating, pointless, and not the way to create lasting change.

In fact, it often leads to frustration and, at worst, despair. In the mind of the person you’re trying to change, you’re either poking at their beliefs…