Whenever you decide to do anything of significance, you are going to create change. There’s a something, somewhere in this world, in your community, in the marketplace, in your life, that needs to be made right, made better, or made new.
Your enthusiasm and passion for your endeavor is contagious and many people may pat you on the back and be excited about it until…wait for it, wait for it…you ask them to change. Suddenly, the brakes are slammed and all that excitement comes to a screeching halt and the air bag of your life deploys.
As you wipe the air bag off your face, a sobering realization hits you: people love to cheer for change; few want experience it. Welcome to real life, my friend.
You see, we reside in a culture that shouts, “chase your dreams” to our face yet whispers, “don’t cause a scene” in our ear. Yet, chasing a dream involves creating change which always causes a scene.
So what do we do when you encounter this resistance?
If you’re as stubborn as I am, you will spend your energy and enthusiasm trying to get them to change. Often, this is like teaching grown-ups to ride a bike yet they refuse to push the pedals and go. You may even go so far as to try to push the pedals for them, but that’s not real change; it’s just wasted effort, and it looks ridiculous.
In frustration and sheer exhaustion, you could throw in the towel, believing it’s not worth it. But before you do that, let me encourage you to try another tactic.
What if you focused on the ones who are willing to change? They may be few, but perhaps they’re all you need to get rolling.
Let’s say your band has a unique sound and you dream of inspiring people around the world through your music. There’s nothing wrong with that. But let’s back the truck up a bit. How do you get there?
You could spin your wheels trying to connect with the passive thousands or you could focus on the committed hundred who are totally into your sound and grow from there. That’s called your base. It’s no coincidence that every movement has one. They are the early adopters, the believers, and the agents for change. There’s something in your story that resonates with theirs.
They are the key to advancing that dream. And to really create change, you must engage them.
