From My Perspective: In This Crazy World, Be the Difference

Welcome to the second official week of January, where it feels like the world has gone completely mad. We've seen and heard horrible things in this past week, which to me feels like more of a science-fiction novel than reality.

If you're anything like me, the events and actions of what's going on in the world right now have you feeling things on an entirely different level than you may have before. My feelings range from sadness, to fear, despair, anger and everything in between. I'm continually reminding myself to feel better, not focus on the bad, and to look to the future with bright eyes.

I feel like we're living in this world that is so, so divided. I've written about divisiveness before, but the events of the last couple of weeks have taken the division of us, as a people and a nation, to an entirely new high.

I understand everything in life has two sides. Good and bad, happy and sad, beginnings and endings. You get my point. Having two sides isn't the problem. What is the problem is having people from one side or another condemn the other side for their beliefs. Yes, that was the topic of last week's column, but clearly needs to be revisited again this week.

Your beliefs in whatever side of anything doesn't make you good or bad. As I said last week, your beliefs on any topic are your own. Some might agree with you, others may not and maybe, sometimes, we need to keep our beliefs to ourselves. This might sound strange coming from someone who writes a weekly column about my perspective of things, but just because you have beliefs, doesn't mean you need to share them, and if you do, it doesn't make you right and others wrong for not agreeing with you. I'm sure there are many of you who don't agree with me and what I write here weekly. That's okay. I'm not here to make you believe the things that I do, only offer my perspective of things and to give a point of view you may not have thought about before.

After I submitted my column, and before the events unfolded before us on national television last week, I'd decided on my words for the year. These two words are my intention for the upcoming year, the way I want to live my life, and the way I hope to be a contribution to those I encounter.

The words I chose are growth and light. I couldn't pick just one this year because I felt they both resonated so deeply for me.

I chose the word growth, because as an individual, I want to grow a little each day. I want to grow personally and professionally. I want to grow in my knowledge, in my actions, and in new things. I want to help others grow through the words I say and write, and through the classes I teach.

I chose light, because I felt my own life needs it. It needs me to be the light for myself and for others. There is so much darkness in our world right now that being the light in it just seemed pivotal... and right for me.

I've had four revisions on this week's column. Why? Because the first was mean, and garbage. The second, a little better, but still scattered with snide, not-nice comments. The third made me realize that, as always, to be the change I want to see in the world, it needs to start with me - yes, a quote from someone much wiser than myself. I need to start practicing the things I preach, or in this case write about in my column. This fourth, and final copy you're seeing today, looks nothing like those other three versions. Sure, there are snippets of ideas from each of those drafts, because the ideas weren't bad, the way I was saying them was. And, if I wanted to grow and bring light to the world, I couldn't do it with those original words.

Now, if it took me four revisions before I could put something good out into the world, imagine what we all might need to do on a daily basis before we let words exit our mouths or be typed into a social media posting. We all have the potential to make a positive impact and difference just by the words we say and type for the world to hear and see.

I implore all of you to think about that before you say words that can't be taken back. Now, more than ever, we need to put good back into the world so the world can give us good things back.

Another reason to truly think about what we're doing? Our kids need us to.

Some people are fleeing social media in droves, other social media platforms are being shut down, and a lot of what's left on social media isn't very good. We're making impressions on our children, and it's no wonder so many of them are scared, angry and sometimes mean. Just look at the example we, as a collective whole, are setting for them. How could we expect them to behave any differently when, in some cases, it's their very own parents who are saying, posting and being so mean to so many?

If you're a praying person, now more than ever the world and its people need your prayers. If you're not a praying person, now might be the time to start. If you're someone like me, who is more spiritual than religious, now is the time to think powerful, positive, affirming beliefs about what we want the world to be like and send them out to the Universe.

I believe we all need to grow and be the light in the world. I fear if we don't, there won't be much of a world left to live in.