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Gandhi’s Top Ten Fundamentals for Changing the World


Image Credit: Francesca

While visiting Tumblr this morning, I found the beautiful graphic that you see above. Credit for the graphic goes to the talented, Francesca. I was inspired to share it along with my interpretation of each piece of wisdom.

1. Change yourself.
You don’t have to go far to hear people complaining. You’ll hear them in the coffee shop, in line at the post office, at the office, and just about anywhere else you go. They say things like: “If I were in control…” “If I had the money to…” “If I had the time I would…” What these people don’t know is that they already have all of the tools that they need to create the change that they want to see. Gandhi tells us to be the change we wish to see in the world and it really is that simple.

Rather than complaining your life away, start to be the change. If you want to see more kindness in the world, show more kindness. If you want to see more generosity in the world, be more generous. If you want to see more beauty in the world, create more beauty. Change yourself and so change the world around you.

2. You are in control.
The reason that you don’t take action, create positive change, and lead the life of your dreams is because you feel like you are not in control. You feel like you don’t have enough money, or enough talent, or enough faith. But you so! You are in control. The only things that are stopping you are your own self-limiting beliefs.

Instead of telling yourself that you can’t, tell yourself that you can. Remember the young girl who was blind, deaf, and barely able to speak. She told herself that she could and then grew up to understand French, German, Greek, and Latin; went to Harvard; wrote a book that was translated into twenty-five languages; met every President in her lifetime; and was awarded the highest civilian honor—the Presidential Medal of Freedom! (Her name was Helen Keller, by the way.)

3. Forgive and let go.
Whatever pain you are holding onto, let it go. If someone has wronged you, forgive him. If you have failed, forgive yourself. Nothing is so important. You do not need to hold onto pain. Its toxic poison will ruin you and break your spirit. Let it go. Forgiveness will set you free.

Gandhi says that forgiveness is choosing to love. When you choose love, you heal your own heart.

4. Take care of this moment.
Living in the past causes depression. Living in the future causes anxiety. The only thing that matters is this moment. If you do what is right in this moment then the past will not matter and the future will be good. Do not waste time thinking of the past or the future. Do not use up your precious, present moments. Be here now. Harness the power of now and be fully present in each moment.

5. Without action you aren’t going anywhere.
When you really want something the whole universe conspires to make it happen; but remember that it still takes work on your part. Dreaming and positive thinking are incredibly powerful tools, but they are not enough on their own. If you want to create the life if your dreams, you must take action. Here are a few things you can do to get on the path toward action: Use visualization to set & accomplish your goals. Get rid of the negatives in your life. Practice minimalism.

6. Everyone is human.
The truth is that people make mistakes. You yourself will make hundreds of mistakes in your lifetime. No person is perfect and when you truly practice love, you will accept all people—flaws & all.

We’re all human. Make it your practice to treat every person you come across with kindness, love, and respect. Your own life will become infinitely brighter as a result of your generosity.

7. See the good in people and help them.
Take kindness a step further. Go out of your way to help people. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Help your elderly neighbor carry in groceries. Read the newspaper at your local nursing home. What you will find is that the more you give, the more you receive. There is infinite beauty in every human soul. If you take the time to give of yourself, you will see that beauty reflected in your own life tenfold.

8. Persist.
Like Samuel Beckett said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” Anything that is worth anything in this life takes work. When you endeavor to do great things, you will inevitably fall at least once. The key to your success will be getting back up. Every. Single. Time. Even when your back is breaking and tears are falling. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

Persist, push forward, and don’t ever give up (even if that means trying something else). If you do these things you will succeed.

9. Be congruent, be authentic, be true to yourself.
To be congruent, you must ensure that your thoughts are aligned with your words and your words are aligned with your actions. Do what you say. To be authentic, you must be real. Never be a fake. Remember that it is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not. And finally, to be true to yourself, you must follow your heart. It is wonderful to have friends, fans, and followers, but at the end of the day you have to lay your head down on the pillow and feel good about you.

10. Continue to grow and evolve.
Life is a journey and on your path you will transform over & over again. Keep an open mind. Embrace change. Remember that possibilities & opportunities are endless. Never stop learning. Never stop growing. And never stop evolving.

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    My Journey to Financial Freedom | Part 1: The Fall

    Three years ago, I was nearly $60,000 in debt. I had a Bachelor’s degree that didn’t appear to be worth its weight in salt and a job that couldn’t cover a fraction of my monthly bills. I was terrified.

    Today, I am closer to complete financial freedom than I ever dreamed possible. Last week, I paid off my last remaining credit card balance. This two-part post is a celebration of this incredible milestone in my journey.

    In part one, I will explain how I got to that terrible place. In part two, I will explain how I’m getting out of it (and how you can do it, too).

    ————————————————————————

    A financial prison is the worst sort of prison to be stuck in. A financial prison does not have steel bars or a prison warden. You will not get sent to financial prison for committing a crime. There is only one person that can sentence you to financial prison. That person is you.

    There are two primary types of financial prisoners:

    1. There are those in financial prison who got there because they truly did not know any better. This type eventually realizes the error of their ways and breaks free.

    2. There are those who knowingly commit themselves to financial prison. This type is well aware of the consequences of living beyond her means; but she does it anyway.

    Of course there are also those who fall somewhere in the middle, like me… (Cue dream sequence.) It all started when I was 18. The guidance counseling systems in my high school and college were either completely inadequate or I simply refused to pay attention. I can’t honestly remember which it was, though I think it was the former. Either way, I was screwed.

    Before me, no one in my family had ever been to college so I didn’t receive much advice. I was thrilled to be out of high school and ready for the next step. I took my SATs one time and applied to one school. My parents, being average folks, made just enough money to prevent me from receiving financial aid; but not enough money to be able to pay my full tuition. For me, this meant loans: “lovely” student loans from “lovely” Sallie Mae.

    My mother co-signed and it was a cinch from there. Each semester I filled out a relatively simple form and like magic, Sallie Mae sent me a check. In fact, Sallie Mae was so generous that they allowed me to take out as much “extra” money as I needed every semester. It was fantastic! Yes, I had money to pay for books, meals, and extra curricula. I also had money to go out and binge drink, buy clothes I didn’t need, designer purses, and more. Sallie Mae was wonderful to me. And the best part if it was that there was no need for discussion. No one guided me, no one advised me, and no one asked me any questions. I showed up at the financial aid office a couple of times each year and it was always smooth sailing.

    On top of that, another great thing happened when I was 18! The credit card companies started to send me applications. And that was just as easy. I got one and then another and then another. Whatever I couldn’t cover with those pretty little checks from Sallie Mae, I could simply charge on my credit cards. College was good to me. I joined a sorority, I partied hard, I shopped until I dropped. What more could a girl ask for?

    It wasn’t all fun & games though. I worked through college. I worked at a children’s camp each summer; I was a Spanish teacher for two years; and toward the end of my college career I was a bookseller at Borders bookstore. All of the money I made working was spending money for me. I had Sallie Mae and the credit cards to pay all of my “real” bills.

    When I finally graduated, I was making a cool $8.25 an hour at Borders. I loved it. I was happy… until one day, out of no where, a letter came in the mail. I had a six month grace period and then I would have to start paying back those loans. My paychecks barely covered my minimum credit card payments. How was I going to make loan payments on top of that?

    So I sat down and did something that I’d never done before. I wrote up a budget. It was horrifying when I realized that even if I’d had no other bills, my monthly wages from Borders wouldn’t even cover half of my monthly student loan payments. The jig was up.

    All told, I came out of college with about $45,000 in student loan debt and almost $15,000 in credit card debt. I hadn’t even lived on campus; I commuted from home; my parents paid for some of my tuition; and I only went to a mediocre school. How the hell was this possible?

    All of a sudden Sallie Mae and the credit card companies didn’t seem so lovely anymore. There was one thought that kept repeating over & over in my head: Why didn’t anyone warn me? I felt cheated, betrayed, angry, afraid, and helpless. I wondered what the people in the financial aid office had been doing all that time. I wondered why my high school guidance counselor didn’t press me harder about applying for scholarships or grants. I wondered a lot of things, but mostly I wondered how the hell I was going to get out of the mess.

    I started sending out resumes for jobs with starting salaries that would at least cover my monthly student loan payments. I sent out resume after resume but before long, I realized another harsh reality. That Bachelor’s Degree in English with a Creative Writing Focus wasn’t so great either. Nobody was calling me back. I couldn’t even get an interview.

    The clock was ticking. I was halfway through my grace period. Then one day, one of my best friends mentioned an opening in her office. I looked over the job description and realized that it had nothing to do with what I’d gone to school for. I didn’t even know what it actually was, but the starting salary was more than what I needed. The rest was history.

    I’ve been at my current company for almost three years now. And yesterday I paid off my last remaining credit card balance! Additionally over these few years, I’ve cut my student loan debt almost in half and by next Winter, I will have it down to a quarter of what I started with.

    Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, where I will share how I am doing it and how you can do it, too.

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    How to Overcome Fear & Stop Resisting

    “To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness.” —Eckhart Tolle

    Stop resisting the will of the Universe. I’ve said this to myself thousands of times. It is perhaps one of the most powerful tools that has led me to peace of mind.

    In the past four years, I overcame depression, anxiety, and I lost sixty pounds. When you overcome a lifetime of anxiety & depression, a lot of things change. For one thing, you begin to enjoy life. Simple things that you hadn’t noticed before fill your heart with joy—Spring, a cold glass of water on a hot day, a good workout, a kind word, a smile. When you are overcome by the effects of anxiety & depression, you do not have time to notice these simple pleasures. (They are often overshadowed by the negative, irrational thoughts swarming inside of your head.)

    Happiness begets happiness, as I like to say. However, even in my increased state of happiness, I knew that something still wasn’t right. It took me awhile to realize what it was. Only after months of careful self-observation did I realize what was happening.

    A hard day at work = I was disgusted, angry, plagued by head aches.
    A frustrating experience at a car dealership = I was furious.
    An upcoming flight and travel arrangements = I was anxious, worried, sick to my stomach.

    I was continually allowing my mind to make me angry, sick, sad, frustrated, etc. Yet, after each of these experiences I learned some valuable lesson or something really important & meaningful happened as a result.

    Hard days at work always lead me to clarity about how myself and my team could be more efficient.
    The frustrating experience at the car dealership actually prevented me from making a terrible mistake and purchasing the wrong car.
    Recent travel and trips have brought me incredible successes in my personal & professional life.

    Upon observing all of this, it hit me. Even when things seemed terrible, even when I was really upset, eventually the pain of the situation would subside. Moreover, I would come out on the other side wiser, stronger, and grateful. Every thing that happened (happens) to me is a direct result of the will of the Universe (you can call that God, fate, destiny, or any other name you’d like to give it, no matter). Yes, every thing that happens is a direct result of the will of the Universe and an opportunity to learn and grow. In order to live true happiness, I had to stop resisting the will of the Universe. Once I did this, my life changed in incredible (and previously unimaginable) ways. When I stop resisting and simply “go with the flow” I find that I am constantly filled with a deep calmness in my soul. I do not worry or suffer. I simply exist and let all scenarios play themselves out. I understand that even pain is necessary and that ultimately it will carry me to a place of light & peace.

    Fear is Unnecessary

    At the root of every single feeling of discomfort, lies one emotion: fear. Fear is the emotion responsible for all forms of suffering. Sadness, anxiety, worry, rage, hatred, envy, and all other forms of suffering are rooted in fear. However, once you stop resisting the will of the Universe, you will understand that fear and suffering are actually not necessary at all.

    The vast majority of fear and suffering is a result of living in an unreal world and/or allowing negative, irrational thoughts to control our minds. The unreal world is the world of sky rise buildings, electricity, paper money, McDonald’s, television, marketing, vanity surgery, reality TV, etc. The real world is the world of trees, dirt, sun, stars, wind, rain, whole foods, self-love, generosity, family, love, etc. Can you see the difference? Once you remove yourself from the suffocating chains of the unreal world, and begin living in the real world, you will find that most of the fears that you experience are completely unnecessary. The vast majority of anxieties that we suffer from are made-up.

    – fear of judgment
    – fear of failure
    – fear of humiliation
    – fear of public speaking
    – fear of making a mistake
    – fear of travel
    – fear of forgetting something
    – fear of being alone and so on

    Once you realize that these fears are made-up in the unreal world, they can hold no power over you. All of the above are irrational anxieties. None of those things would actually put your life in danger or expose you to any harm. The only place that they can affect you is in your head. But you must remember that you have control over what goes on in your head! You can use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to end the suffering.

    Eventually, you will realize that true fear might have a place in your life, but that is only when you are truly in danger. Perhaps while being chased by a bear or masked murderer, while falling from a cliff, etc. Yes, in those instances, your fear is justified and it can help you by creating adrenaline, increased strength, quicker reflexes and cognitive ability. But other than those “real” true fear situations, there is really no need for fear and certainly no need for emotional suffering.

    Live Without Resistance or Fear

    Once you learn to stop resisting the will of the Universe and to live without fear, you will experience an entirely new & improved sort of living. You will find that all of the things that you once desired, but were afraid to seek, are actually within your reach. For example, I was emotionally crippled by irrational anxiety for the first half of my life. This made it impossible for me to speak in front of people. I could not ask a question in a class of twenty, let alone get up in front of a group of people to speak. My anxiety over public speaking was so great, that it crippled me. I once experienced a debilitating panic attack at a dinner party of five family friends! But… that is ancient history.

    Now, my former self is hardly recognizable. I have spoken in front of groups of sixty people or more with grace and confidence. I know that my fear is irrational & unnecessary, so I overcome it. Sure, my heart rate may increase, I might sweat a bit—but I do not let it stop me! I remind myself that that the fear is not real and I move forward to success.

    You are entirely capable of achieving the same same sort of success in your own life—personal & professional. Whatever your fear is, you can overcome it.

    “You’ll seldom experience regret for anything that you’ve done. It is what you haven’t done that will torment you.” —Wayne Dyer

    To allow fear to rule your life, is not to live at all. So stop resisting the will of the Universe and stop allowing fear to rule your life. Begin living, truly living, right now. There is nothing in your way. What is your greatest fear? Can you believe that it is unnecessary? What would you do if you had no fear in your heart at all? How different could your life be?

    The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them!

    I am now offering personalized coaching sessions to individuals suffering from anxiety &/or depression. If you are interested in scheduling a session or would like to learn more, please contact me at denabotbyl[@]gmail[.]com for details and rates. Include CBT Session in the subject line.

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  9. Love the list. It all goes back to the one truth I always stick with through the turmoil of the journey and that is that being selfishly selfless is the best way to better the world. Since we are the world, and the universe, the best way to change the world is the change our self for the better constantly. The most selfish thing one could want for themselves is to be free from suffering, and it’s also what the world needs to be free from the most. Glad your continuing to better yourself and the world Dena!

    How are you doing lovely? Would love to hear some more about what’s happening in your world.

    Peace and Namaste from Nepal!

    Brandon

    Reply

    1. @ Brandon – The best way to change the world is the change our self for the better constantly. I absolutely love this idea, Brandon! It has been so wonderful to watch your journey unfold – a true & beautiful inspiration.

      My world has been relatively quiet as of late. Seeking peace. I should be posting some more substantial updates soon. Happy 2011, my friend! Keep creating positive change — you are amazing.

      Reply

  10. Also, I love that there’s a bike on the title pic. The most fun way to better the world is to trade your car in for a bike~!

    Reply
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