“Be the change you want to see”

– Mahatma Gandhi

This quote has deeply affected me and how I live my life. For those of you who have read my blogs before, you know I’m all about dreaming big and believing in yourself. It doesn’t matter what area of life, if there is a change you hope to see, you must first embody what you want the world to be. Personal action, passion and conviction precede desired culture change!  Many times we see celebrities or the rich and the famous taking a stand, but we forget that we, too, can make a difference in our families, work places, industries, ministries and amongst our followers. With that said, I wanted to take a moment to bring attention to a man who is passionate about seeing change in his community. He acknowledged a problem and is making a personal change to bring awareness and change. I believe his story and conviction will encourage and inspire you to see the issues in your life that can be changed!

Pastor Rob Cox is a friend of mine from Manteca California. He wrote a blog on Feb. 13, 2012 stating:

I’ve had enough of this.  It’s time for a revolution inside the schools of Manteca, California and of the United States.  I need to do something.  So, I’m going on a hunger strike to say I am more hungry for purity and character than I am for the urges and needs of my human body.  I am partnering with Character Counts to engage the student body and our community as a whole to wake up to the issues that are destroying our next generation of leaders in this country.  This isn’t an attack on anybody; this is just identifying a serious problem and doing what I can to solve it.  This isn’t about religious culture.  This isn’t about shoving religious laws or dogma down kids’ throats.  This is about saving this next generation from depravity.  No nation can survive if hedonism becomes the law of the land.

Today is March 7, 2012, and Pastor Rob is STILL on his hunger strike. He has seen and heard countless testimonies of change, young people dropping off their razor blades to him, stories of students turning away from alcohol and drugs, girls realizing their worth! This is just the beginning of the change he wants to see. How long will his fast go on for?

From February 13, 2012 until the day that I see that our local leaders and public figures have developed a compass for this problem, I will not be eating any food.  I am using this to awaken people to this plight.

That, ladies and gentleman, is what I call passion! We long to see change in our companies, our industries, families or the world around us, yet we always think it’s somebody else’s problem to fix. Imagine if we all started taking ownership of the issues in life. Tired of your workplace environment? Well, do something about it! Tired of the way you are treated in your industry? Well, take a stand! Desperately desire change in our society? Acknowledge the problem and be the Change you want to see!

My sole purpose for this blog post is to remind you that one can be the difference. A whole lot of “ones” equal many. In closing, let today be the start of something new. Let’s create a culture of history makers!

Warmest Wishes,

Olivia

PS: If you are interested in find out more about Pastor Rob’s cause you can read his blog. http://gloryfallrob.tumblr.com/post/17569910523/we-need-purity-and-we-need-it-now or contact him via twitter @gloryfallRob