“You can’t change the world, but you can clean up your room.”
Like most mom-isms, this one took a few years to untangle. It came whenever she sensed my confusion at the way the world worked. At first I thought it was an admonishment to ignore the facts and get busy with the vacuum. Later I realized it was my mother’s way of saying, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mom was telling me that I couldn’t help others or make them happy until I could do these things for myself.
You may call it being the change or leading by example, or just doing your best. But if you want to change the world, you have to start with yourself. Real change starts with your education, your empathy, and your awareness of the world around you.
The better you take care of what is within your reach, the farther you can reach. This is how you affect others. This is how you change the world.
