Change The World

If you don't define what "enough" means to you, you will never HAVE enough, and you will never feel like you ARE enough. You can't change the world in its entirety, but you CAN change someone's entire world, and that, my friends, is enough! 

Episode Transcript

(00:06):
Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast.
Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life.
Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.

(00:27):
Many people have been reaching out to me lately because they feel
discouraged or powerless to make a significant impact in the world.
In an ongoing effort to get to the root of our impulse to complain rather than to make a
difference where we can, I hosted a group discussion about this topic in
Ventura and in Los Osos, California, as well as online over Zoom,

(00:48):
to which all monthly supporters from all over the world are invited every month.
What I saw hiding behind people's feeling of helplessness is our collective addiction to
MORE, which you've heard me talk about in different contexts,
but never in how it relates to being of-service.
As a refresher, if you don't define what Enough means to you, you will never have it.

(01:11):
This is true when people chase money, houses, cars, relationships, and so on,
but it's apparently also true when we each gauge what a difference we can make.
If we aren't saving lives or winning a Nobel Prize, we fall into the trap of thinking that we
aren't doing "enough," but again, it's all because we haven't defined what
"Enough" means to us, so, as a result, we never get there.

(01:32):
Think of the Titanic sinking
and the different ways passengers reacted, at least in the movie.
Some panicked and ran around screaming, others snuggled together and peacefully
accepted the inevitable. A few people jumped ship, more than a few looked for
someone to blame, and when the band started playing music as the boat was
going down, I initially thought it was silly, but now I realize that improving or soothing a few

(01:56):
moments in someone's life is the best use of our remaining time together.
If you don't think that's enough, is it because you generally believe nothing is?
I think of my friend Michelle, who is obviously unable to single handedly upend legislation or
keep the Arctic from melting, so she decided to join Visiting Angels instead.

(02:16):
Visiting Angels is an organization that offers the elderly companionship and some
assistance with non-medical tasks.
Nothing Michelle does helps climate change or restores women's rights,
but she does put a big smile on her clients' faces and she warms their hearts,
which they would tell you makes a huge difference in their lives.
In turn, her life is filled with purpose and an immediate sense of fulfillment.

(02:39):
Another friend started offering free yoga classes at a local park.
At first, a couple of people participated, and he recently told me the community has
grown to more than 50 people who come together for a sense of unity.
Is he reversing executive orders or taxing billionaires? No.
But, he enriches the lives of so many people on a daily basis, and they, in turn, enrich his.

(03:01):
Do my speaking engagements or podcast episodes cure cancer? No.
Does that mean I am wasting my time? If I suffered from a compulsive addiction to
doing MORE, then I would never think anything I do is enough.
But, if at least one person finds value in my persistent invitations to
be a light in someone's life rather than one more person cursing the darkness,

(03:22):
then imagine what an impact we can all make together every time you
share these messages or the books. Heck, we can light up the whole world!
I have always associated our addiction to more with greed, but when it comes to
not-enoughness as it pertains to making a difference in the world,
it is apparently rooted in people-pleasing.
I had no idea people-pleasing was as big of a problem as it is, nor did I expect it to be

(03:46):
the reason so many of us feel helpless.
Whenever I think to myself that what I'm doing isn't enough,
I ask myself, "According to whom?" As in, who is the judge deeming how invaluable I am?
It's not me. It's a voice inside of me.
And it's a relentless bully constantly calling me worthless.
People-pleasing is not a friendly habit of doing kind deeds for others,

(04:09):
it's an underlying fear of rocking the boat, often rooted in childhood trauma or
associating our self worth with grand accomplishments. I would go as far as
to call people-pleasing a disease, and venture to guess we are all infected.
When I talk about making a big difference in our small world rather than trying to make a
small difference in the big world, you can choose to read to the blind,

(04:31):
to run errands for someone who can't, or to play cards with the elderly.
My personal mantra is that
you can't change the world in its entirety, but you CAN change someone's entire world.
And that, my friends, is enough.
If you find value in what I do,
monthly contributors who show their support with $5 a month may not sound like much,
but collectively, it makes a HUGE difference.

(04:54):
Just visit BuddhistBootCamp.com/support and remember that
you can't change the world in its entirety, but you CAN change someone's entire world.
Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in this Army of Love. I appreciate you 🙏
Timber Hawkeye is the bestselling author of Buddhist Boot Camp, Faithfully Religionless,

(05:15):
and The Opposite of Namaste.
For additional information, please visit BuddhistBootCamp.com,
where you can order autographed books to support the Prison Library Project,
watch Timber's inspiring TED Talk, and join our monthly mailing list.
We hope you have enjoyed this episode
and invite you to subscribe for more thought-provoking discussions.

(05:35):
Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love. 🙏