"You're too young to change the world. Be more realistic."
"Why would anyone listen to you? You're just a kid."
"You're a teenager. You can't do anything that will make a difference."
I don't know about you, but I have been told these things growing up. Whether they were said directly to me or not, it still got in my head. I quickly learned to keep my dreams of making an impact on the world quiet, so I wouldn't have to deal with the backlash. I didn't want to listen to someone tell me that I couldn't do it or have to defend myself by explaining why I thought I could. By keeping it to myself, they still won, because I didn't try.
It's hard to believe someone my age, a young adult, can do something that could actually change the world. We are always told to wait. And we listen, because we don't see another option. So, those dreams get pushed aside all the time, because they are unrealistic or seem impossible. We don't want anyone to know we have failed, so we don't even try.
There's this idea that for our lives to mean something, to matter, that we have to change the world. Help put an end to world hunger and poverty. Raise millions of dollars for medical supplies for third world countries. Be famous and raise awareness for mental illness. Do something so hundreds or even thousands of people know who we are. So we can be remembered for years after we are gone. We have gotten in our heads that that is the only way our lives will be important. That those are the only things we can do that will truly make a difference.
None of those things are bad, and if you can do any of them by all means do it. But that isn't the only way our lives will matter.
I always wanted to change the world. I have these big dreams of all the ways I'm going to make an impact on people's lives across the country, like so many other people do. While I am still going to aim to reach those goals, I've learned that if I don't get there, then it's okay. I don't have to change the whole world to make a difference. By helping just one person, that's making a difference. That is making a lasting impact on the world, even though I won't get the recognition of everyone knowing my name. And that's okay. Not everyone has to know my name. I don't have to change everyone's lives. But if every day I can do something that will help even just one person, then that is enough to make my life mean something.
The world can be an ugly place. There are a ton of things that we need to change, but it can't be done all at once. Even if you can make a dent by being able to help a few people, then you have played a part in changing the world. If we all can do just a tiny bit, then we can change the world, no matter what adults tell us.
