Whether you are a leader or a follower… movement, even if just a fraction, is action! All those little (fr)actions add up to something big!
What do you believe in? What are you passionate about? What are you doing to support it?
The short video at the end of my post captures the dynamics of a ‘movement’ brilliantly. Do not skip it!
Seriously…. Do. Not. Skip. It.
First, I was a lurker. Then, I became a follower. I never set out to be a leader, it just happened…
As my kids got older, I noticed more and more children with chronic health issues and I wondered why. When I discovered the hidden changes to our food and in our food system in the U.S. I could not stand by anymore, I had to act. I became an activist, joined up with a grassroots organization as a social media team member, and began to fight for the changes I believed were needed.
There were some things in my life that needed changing too, I realized. So, I started cleaning up my own diet by doing a 30-day ‘detox’ which limited what I could eat or drink. The end result was that my chronically inflamed knee had resolved and I lost a couple of pounds. Yay me!
But, that is not what this post is about. It is about creating or joining a movement… which I did, unintentionally, when I became the ‘healthy living’ leader in my own little sphere of influence and intentionally, as a passionate follower in the world of activism.
When I began my detox and lifestyle changes, I wondered if I could continue to enjoy my social mom time, which usually included pleasure eating and drinking.
My friends and I could Eat and Drink, with capitals for emphasis!
In fact, most everyone I knew, family included, was eating and drinking without thinking!
I became the LONE NUT by scrutinizing everything that went into my mouth and drastically changing my diet.
That first happy hour as the LONE NUT, my friends ate bar food and drank yummy cocktails. Even though I did not partake, we all had a good time. No one mocked me when I told them why I wasn’t eating or drinking with them. And, no one tried to pull me off my path because they saw how passionate I was.
I was lucky and blessed to have such loving and supportive friends and not be subjected to the mocking and insensitive comments some get when they veer away from the crowd. Even if they hadn’t been so accepting, my determination was strong enough to overcome any negativity from friends and family.
My lifestyle changes continued until they simply became my lifestyle.
As I became confident in my way of living, I began sharing the reasons I’d made changes with my mom, my husband and my kids.
I modeled ‘healthy living’ and my friends and family saw it. When they asked questions about what I was doing, I answered from a place of sharing and caring, not preaching or judging.
I liked and commented on posts which fit my new way of thinking so that my friends and followers could see, if they cared to, what I was passionate about and what was motivating my changes.
And, then it happened….
My friends and family began to make lifestyle changes and, in some way or another, moved towards living a more healthful life.
I was no longer the LONE NUT! I had become a LEADER!
So from my own experience, I can say…
Be Brave! Be Authentic! Act on what you believe in!
The world needs leaders and followers like YOU!!!
So, get in the Game!
Are you a leader or a follower? Watch this 3 minute video! How to Start A Movement
Share your Shirtless Dancing Guy story in the comments section. 🙂
actions add up to something big!!!){kind=link}