Cash Flow With Joe

You can change the world

by | Nov 11, 2019 | Motivational | 2 comments

You can change the world

 

Recently, I was standing in line at a home improvement store purchasing lights and other finishes for two flip projects we have going. As the cashier was ringing me up, I struck up a conversation with her about how life was going.

 

Life has been challenging for her, to say the least. She is battling kidney disease, one of her children has Stage 4 cancer, and there have been some major changes at work that have left her feeling undervalued and unappreciated.

 

As we talked, an older gentleman walked up with a smaller order. Since I was breaking my purchase up into two orders, I let the man go ahead of my second purchase so he wouldn’t have to wait around.

 

He had listened to the cashier’s story and began to expound upon how bad life can be and how people really don’t care about each other. (I found this ironic since I had just showed I care by letting him jump in line.)

 

I have to confess, I don’t well in these situations. Even though doctors labeled my blood type as B-negative, I tend to be positive. And I strive to pass on that positivity to the people in my immediate vicinity. Consequently, if I cannot succeed in this endeavor and get overpowered by toxic negativity, I’ll leave the presence of those people and find others to surround myself with. But I don’t give up without a fight.

 

The final straw with the older gentleman was when he said, “People don’t care. And besides, you can’t change things anyway.”

 

My response to this was a simple, “Sir, I don’t believe that.”

 

He turned to me with a look of disgust and spouted, “You can’t change the world!”

“Sir… I believe you can,” I said.

 

You should have seen it. He got so mad and started talking about things that were affecting his being — things like super speeders that he had absolutely no control over. He finished his tirade and left in a big huff.

 

The cashier and I just turned to each other and resumed our conversation as if he had never been there. We talked about some religious things and how she confessed that she was relying on her faith to get her through this tough time. She believed things would get better soon. I made sure to affirm her in that belief. I also let her know what a great job she had done for me that day and emphasized that she always does a great job.

 

We said our goodbyes, both smiling.

 

Changing the world is a very broad thing. The word “world” is subjective and doesn’t have to mean the entire globe. Your world starts with you and what is being said between your two ears. Are you saying positive things to yourself?

 

Jim Rohn said something like, “In order for things to change, I have to change. And for things to get better, I have to get better.”

 

With that in mind, if you are able to change yourself for the better, you have changed the world.

 

But it goes further than that. Your world may extend to your spouse, and then to your children. It may grow to include your congregation and your community. Some go on to elicit change in their counties and states. Still others change their countries.

 

But the bottom line is this: Regardless of where you start, EVERYONE can change the world!

 

As I walked out and got into my truck, it dawned on me that I had just had an opportunity to change the world. I stood up to toxic negativity and kept it at bay. But more importantly, I connected with someone on a deeper level who was going through a very tough time. And by lifting her up with true praise, I left her in better spirits than when I found her.

 

So, did I change the world? I believe I did. And I believe with every ounce of my being that you can too.

 

Joe and Ashley English buy houses and mobile homes in Northwest Georgia. For more information or to ask a question, go to www.cashflowwithjoe.com or call Joe at 678-986-6813.

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