The Gratitude Challenge

When I was young I was the pickiest eater you could find. My mom would constantly tell me to finish my plate because there were people with nothing to eat. She’d tell me how lucky I was to be in school because there were children who dream about setting foot into a classroom. And being the little rascal I was, I would just nod my head and sneakily scoop my dinner into a napkin on my lap. I couldn’t grasp what she meant; I had no connections to these “hypothetical” people my mom was referring to.

Over the years I met some incredible people who have changed my perspective and priorities. It’s little eleven-year-old Israela, my friend from Mexico, who motivates me to get my sleepy butt to class every morning. She was willing to leave her family and spend five days a week in an orphanage just to finish primary school. It’s supermom Esperanza, mother of three, who taught me the prevalence of hunger in the world. These heroines aren’t just figures in my mother’s mind, they are my friends and they are people with hopes, dreams, feelings, and value.

Thanksgiving is a time for us to sit down and count our blessings. We typically list off the generate (yet still valued) family, friends, health, etc. We stay in “puddle” surface area instead of diving into the deeper “ocean” thoughts. But I challenge you to think harder.

This year I chose to empathize with the nearly 3 billion (nearly half of the world!) that live on less than $2.50 a day. With the 22 000 children that die every day due to poverty. With the countless civilians who were unlucky enough to have been born into a war-torn area. With the homeless men and women begging just down the street from me.

I’ve come up with a Thanksgiving or gratitude challenge. I want you to list just one thing you are grateful for. Think of a personal reflection for why you are grateful. Contextualize it in a locally or globally. Then find a resource for someone else who wants to learn more or do something about it. Then post it on your social media. Don’t forget to challenge your friends to do the same!

For example,

“This Thanksgiving I am grateful for my childhood. I was free to learn, play, and grow at my own pace. Unfortunately there are over 168 million child laborers in the world today. These children, and many more, are forced to grow up much too soon. Want to do something about that? Learn more at: http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/child-labour/lang--en/index.htm#a2”

Let’s put our social media and turkey dinners to a greater purpose! I’d love to hear what you’re grateful for this season.

Lots of love,

Meagan <3

Like For Change

We all know that liking that post with the starving kid picture isn’t going to do anything. We live in a world generous with their clicks but stingy with their actions. Our society is contaminated and consumed by the apathetic. Right?

Wrong.

And honestly, up until a few days ago, I really believed that. People would like or share a post, do their “part” and then go back to creeping their exes. We couldn’t and wouldn’t make a real impact on anything. And I’m sure many of you still believe that.

But then things changed for me.

It was around midnight and I was laying in my tiny bed on the second floor on my camp’s administration building. I was doing my nightly check of my news feed on my phone when I stumbled upon a Live Different post. It read:

“Lisa Kristine: Photos that bear witness to modern day slavery”

 

As a social-justice and photography enthusiast, I thought I’d watch the first few minutes before going to sleep. Before I knew it the twenty-minute video was done and I was in tears. Her talk and images moved me and demanded action. And so, at around two in the morning, I was finishing up a lesson plan for a social justice workshop. 

Still strung up on my motivation, I proposed the workshop to one of the camp’s directors the following morning. Much to my dismay, she had me run the workshop just hours after I suggested it. The hour-long workshop featured the very video I watched the night before, and a half-hour discussion. I wanted the teens to process this information in a constructive way (not with guilt, anger, or helplessness) and we brainstormed ways that we could make a difference in the short and long term. The final touch was a Slavery Footprint quiz, which gave each participant an estimate of how many slaves they have had working for them from their purchases and consumption patterns. It let them see their direct impact in the modern-day slave trade.

Fortunately the workshop really resonated with teens. They all seemed teeming with ideas and in that moment I was sure we’d make an impact. And week after week the camp directors allowed me to present my workshop to the teenagers. I managed to reach out to over one hundred youth this summer. In turn, they inspired me.

It’s not very often that one has the opportunity to see their effect on people, and I’m blessed to have had a glimpse into my workshop’s impact. Weeks after camp ended I received a text message and a phone call from one of my campers. He liked the video I showed and wanted to do a presentation on it for his class. What surprised me was that he was genuinely moved enough to follow through on his action plan weeks after the workshop. I actually made a difference in his perspective of the world, and he was going to change that for his peers. The ripple was in full effect. And all because of one click.

Lots of love,

Meagan <3

Head in the Clouds with My Feet on the Ground

Prelude:

Part of my journey as an Academy student entails a comprehensive reflection of my time with Live Different. Appropriately named, the Final Assignment requires me to consider which events have impacted the most for each semester, how the “leader for the day” of tour and Mexico changed my perspective, a character trait I’ve discovered in myself, and three goals for the upcoming year. This blog series will serve to address these questions and more; I hope you enjoy!

I am a professional tightrope walker.

Seriously.

I have tread fine lines my whole life. I was never this or that, I just balanced between it all.

Sometimes I was a leader. I felt like the most courageous fourth grader when I single-handedly organized a fundraiser for tsunami relief. I was so sure that I would solve the entire crisis if all three hundred students from my elementary school brought in one dollar. I was passionate, hopeful, and idealistic.

Yet other times I took a step back from the spotlight. I began to hold my tongue. I feared being judged and I became passive. I thought people couldn’t dislike me if I didn’t do anything.  

And this was how I behaved. I’d lead then crawl back into my shell. I walked that tight rope for years.

And then I came to Live Different Academy (LDA) where I learned to see all of my potential and how my balancing act was limiting me.

I was extremely nervous for my tour Leader Day. The part that fazed me was talking to the school contact. I was nervous I would forget to ask a question or that I would say the wrong thing. I had no confidence going into the situation. Ultimately it went well and I realized that I was capable of it. I’m sure it would have gone even better had I actually believed in myself. It goes to show that confidence and self-assurance can let you accomplish nearly anything.

Tour let me develop my confidence. Unlike during tour, I was excited for my Leader Day in Mexico. I taught a social justice lesson on education to my peers and I organized a movie night at a local school. It played on my teaching and organizational strong suits. It reaffirmed my newfound confidence and leadership skills.

So what does it mean to be a leader?

It means being approachable to those around you. It means being organized and problem solving. It means effectively communicating to those around you. It means taking initiative and taking pride in your work. It means leading my example, not necessarily by what you say. It doesn’t mean doing everything yourself, a good leader has the ability to delegate. And the most important point of all is that a good leader serves their group. Everything they do it to benefit their team.

I’m excited to put this new trait to the test for when I am home. I am currently organizing a fundraiser for various slavery-fighting charities; I am in the midst of finalizing a presentation at a local high school; I am trying to use my camp as a platform to educate and inspire; and I am in the beginning stages of planning a humanitarian trip at my university.

As much as I am motivated to go for the big actions, I am eager to use my skills during my everyday interactions. Just the simple task of smiling at a stranger or giving out a random act of kindness is important. Knowing how to better communicate with those around me will help me in all aspects of my life. Even just knowing myself better will help me succeed in life.

So I’m putting my tight rope to rest for good. If I ever want to make a difference I need to have my feet planted firmly on the ground. I believe that lives are measured by their impact on others. My only wish is that I will be able to make mine count.

Lots of love,

Meagan <3

Dreams with Training Wheels

Prelude:

Part of my journey as an Academy student entails a comprehensive reflection of my time with Live Different. Appropriately named, the Final Assignment requires me to consider which events have impacted the most for each semester, how the “leader for the day” of tour and Mexico changed my perspective, a character trait I’ve discovered in myself, and three goals for the upcoming year. This blog series will serve to address these questions and more; I hope you enjoy!

I’ve heard that dreams come in a size too big so that we can grow into them. After the whirlwind of this year, I couldn’t agree with that more. Who would have thought that my impulsive decision to put life at home on hold and to join the Academy would lead me to where I am now? I feel like I’m finally growing into dreams I never knew I had.

This year has been an incredible journey. I spent four months touring Canada and four months in Mexico. I’ve experienced more new things this year than I have in my entire lifetime thus far. I will cherish the memories I have made for the rest of my life.

I am eternally grateful for Live Different. The Academy program was the wakeup call I had no idea I even needed. It has helped me find a greater purpose in my life and it has guided me to the growth I needed to become who I am today. I’m ready to face my life with the courage, compassion, and grace I have developed during my time here.

Time has never felt so relative. While it feels like I’ve been in Mexico for forever, it also seems like I was just on tour. It is as if I’m standing still as the past, present, and future circle around me. And let me tell you, they are all beautiful.

From the past I see the peaceful and poetic early morning bus rides, the scenery of unimaginable beauty, and the stoic mountains that both confirm and deny our greatness. I see some of the truest expressions of humanity and compassion. After all, what could be more human than the exposing of the soul? My team and I connected with students at a real level. We told our honest stories and gave them meaning and courage in their struggles. We gave those ready to give up another reason to push forward.

In a way I received just as much as those students did. Serving others is truly therapeutic. You begin to see your potential as you change the lives of those around you day after day. You begin to realize just how easy it is to make a difference. Plans, dreams, and ideas began to form.

I also learnt how to better communicate with others and how to speak publicly. I already have some big plans to keep spreading the lessons I have learned this year. I just don’t want this experience to end in June. One of the reasons why I joined the Academy was because I wanted the inspiration and motivation I left after Hero Holidays to stay with me for the rest of my life. And I think it will. Tour gave me the skills and Mexico the drive to propel me into this way of living.

From the present I see the strong, kind, and vibrant people of Mexico. Their affection and generosity has touched my heart and inspired me to give more with my life. When in doubt, I ask myself “what would a Mexican do?” They have reaffirmed my belief that people and relationships come far before stuff and money. They have showed me that no matter how much or little you possess you always have something to give: love.

Between the Hero Holidays and my own adventures I have had so many opportunities to hear wisdom from Mexican families. Regardless of who I asked, I received three pieces of advice: to study as hard as I can, to appreciate everything I have, and to be good to my family. This last piece of advice was particularly significant for me. I wish the people I spoke to knew how much of an impact they have had on me.

In the future I see big plans and an immense potential. It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time. I want to keep up my active participation in bettering the world around me. I’m keeping up my momentum with a fundraiser and some talks with students, and I plan on volunteering as often as my schedule allows. I am going to focus more on the relationships in my life. I have a lot of catching up to do with my family and friends back home, keeping up with my new friends, and learning to do with my future friends I will meet this year. Lastly, I am going to put every effort to stay afloat in my sea of change. I can foresee a culture shock between this current life and home life, and then there is moving out and starting university life. I’ll have to take time to take care of myself so I can serve others.

In a way I haven’t really changed. I have always the potential within. Live Different simply provided me with an environment where I could explore my potential. It’s more than just a leadership program; it’s a meeting point of extraordinary people. You can’t help being inspired to dream big.

So what are your dreams? The only person who has a shot of making them come true is you, so what are you doing to move towards them? Extraordinary things are simply the combination of choices, so make your choices count.

Lots of love,

Meagan <3