Sketch of Day 7 (8/17): Hearts and Heat
“If you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat.” -Ronald Reagan
IYLAers are feeling the heat on the sunny New Jersey beaches today. It’s a beautiful day for relaxation and reflection. And today I want to share mine.
As young leaders, we go out into the world with the determination to be an example; a role model, someone others look to for inspiration. However, we soon find that not everyone shares or comprehends a vision as big as our own and as a result we start thinking...maybe this global vision is not worth chasing. Some may choose to settle for “someday”. Some settle for recognizing their dream as just that, a beautiful dream, something that could never happen “in my lifetime”.
Through my interaction with these young IYLA delegates I’ve found people who are not content. These are leaders who dare to use their knowledge, skills, and passion to take the world by storm, to start making change now.
We might not be able to make everyone “see the light”, our vision for humanity. However, they won’t be able to help the way they feel when they come in contact with our fiery passion. This is my encouragement to leaders, young and old, everywhere around the world. The key to real change is touching hearts. We tend to see most of life as a mind game, having to debate, fight, even trick people into thinking the way we think. We forget that it is only in service to the people we stand for, bridging hearts and minds, that a true leader can emerge.
If you really believe in your vision for the betterment of our world then don’t just make me see your blueprints, your prototypes and guides, your models and templates. We are all just people. We want to be inspired. We want to be consumed by the heat of your passion and become a raging fire of our own. The best part of your vision? You don’t have to do it alone. Inspire others to become leaders, to become even better than you, so that change may happen now...not “someday”.
Let’s make them feel the heat.
