What will you do to help make a difference?

What this story is about is the lies, deception and treachery that these three entities have created while creating the illusion that it is is all for the best for everyone involved. In fact, the benefits are significant in the economies where it takes place. Unfortunately, those benefits are very short lived and are designed to be that way. Their design is actually meant to bring these economies to their knees. Designed to put these economies under the control of these three big bullies. Once they are under the control of the bullies, these struggling economies can do nothing except what they are guided to do by the bullies.

What do these bullies want? Oh, nothing much. Just control of their land and resources, their votes at international arenas, the stage to grow their global empire. But it’s okay because there are those is those struggling economies that do really benefit. They just happen to the small group of people who knowingly align themselves with the bullies and the few richest groups at the top of the countries food chain. What about all the others? “Oh, they’ll be okay. It’s all for the best.”

The shortsightedness of the whole system is visible in The Story of Stuff by The Story of Stuff Project. This work is also available in a new book (The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-and a Vision for Change). Our world is failing all around us. We may not see if directly while driving in our new cars or watch our huge TVs in our bigger houses while drinking bottled water, but there are people who live it every single day of their lives. We have had a part in creating this failing system. We may not have dreamed it up, but we are contributors to it. It all hinges on our ability to stand up and do something about it.

John Perkins was a huge part of the design of this system. You could say he was one of its founding fathers. Thankfully, he could see the errors and atrocities that he was committing. While it was too late, he did finally step up to start making a difference.

What will you do to help make a difference?

Many people find themselves stuck in front of the TV for many hours a week. Statistics about television usage are depressing and that is one of the reasons that I stay away from the TV during the week as much as I can. The news drives me crazy. Good sitcoms are rare. Dramas are often over done. My opinion is that TV is a black hole and it sucks the life and creativity out of you. All the said, where did I find myself this morning? Yes, that’s right.

So what do you do when you are like this? What puts you into a mental state where you just need to shut down? For me, the biggest cause is…well, ME! I start thinking about what I am doing and what I am working to achieve and I sometimes start to think that it won’t happen. I have trouble sleeping. I get grumpy. I stop enjoying life. When this happens…I get scared! I get scared of the unknown. I am doing things that I have never done before. I get scared of failure! What happens if I don’t pull it off? I get scared of what other people with think of me! I want to inspire people, not disappoint them.

It’s when I get scared that I change my mindset. There have been many times in my life where I was faced with the unknown, possible failure or with the prospect of letting someone down and I simply laughed it off. Chalk it up to part naivety, part stubbornness, part ego and part vision.

It’s this vision that I have set before me that allows me to pull out of my lethargy and move forward. To do the things that I need to do to get things done. It is this vision that get me excited again. Without a vision, how would I get encouraged? How would I get motivated?

It’s this vision, that makes me take action when I don’t even know what to do. When I pulled myself away from the TV, I didn’t know what I was going to write today. I just started writing. My actions led to my excitement. Action is what inspired me.

If you want to get excited about your life, figure out your vision and take action.