Be the change: Inspiring by passion – not persuasion, by Kristina Lugo

Written on October 9, 2009 by Akhila in be the change series, social change

If I could advocate for one cause, it would be clean and portable water solutions.

For the past year, I’ve been wrestling with the notion of getting those around me to care about a social issue, any social issue. Over coffee dates, workshops, team meetings the night before a final exam, I’ve met and re-met with like-minded individuals trying to brainstorm ways in which to get Gen Y to take ownership of leadership for the sake of the world. Only recently have I realized the selfish motives in convincing others to be passionate about my passions.

I met (the very charming) Sol Guy at the 2008 Impact National Conference. With shaking knees and blushing cheeks, I asked him how to get people around me to care? And Sol, in all his wisdom, told me this, “You just keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t worry about everybody else, they’ll come later, but for now, just keep going.”

The truth is, what I’m passionate about may not be exactly what you are passionate about. In fact, you may never be passionate about the issues in which I am. And it’s taken awhile, but I think that’s ok. I’ve experienced the difficulty in getting people to care about any sort of social issue, so how much more the social issues that I’m passionate about? This does not mean I’ll stop advocating for the 1.1 billion citizens of the Earth that lack clean water (I will engage in that conversation given the most miniscule opportunity), but I’ve moved from over-zealously trying to convince, to trying to inspire.

I embarked on my ultimate graduation trip to Malawi this summer and met a well-educated 20-something Malawian. She told me that her sister was in Canada and when asked if she planned on joining her, she smiled softly and replied “No, because if I don’t help Malawi, who will?” And in the exchange of that simple sentence, I too was convinced that I should also help Malawi. Not because she gave me a comprehensive lesson outlining the economic hardships of the small nation, but because in the simple exchange of that sentence, I saw her passion and was inspired. I saw that whether people joined her along the way or not, she was going to continue to do what she was doing.

Alice Walker said “Activism is my rent for living on this planet”. Activism, like rent, is not optional. It should not depend on the person next door paying their rent as well. And so this is why I’m deciding to “Be the Change”, because I’ve been living for free my whole life. I’m going to be the change by inspiring, not convincing, and just doing what I’m doing in hopes that one day, my rent will be paid off.

The Changemaker

Kristina Lugo is 22-year-old new grad recently venturing into the corporate world. She just started a new blog and tweets @kristinalugo. She loves travelling, photography, sushi, and london fogs. One day she hopes to combine her passions for math and international development and start a social venture.

30 Comments - Leave a comment!

http://akhilak.com/blog Akhila

Kristina, I absolutely love the message you have here! It’s so true that I spend a lot of time, especially here on this blog, trying to persuade people to care about human rights issues, which is the cause I’d advocate for. But maybe this isn’t the best approach to take and maybe I have to work harder on just BEING the best I can be. If I work towards this cause and be passionate about it…maybe people automatically latch onto that. I know that’s actually how I became interested in these issues in the first place, by being inspired by someone I knew who was doing great work in this area. It’s definitely something to think about..

http://www.kristinalugo.wordpress.com/ Kristina

Thanks so much for the kind words Akhila! Don’t stop advocating for human rights because you have a wealth of knowledge and passion that should be shared with others. The unfortunate truth is that not everyone is or will be as passionate about human rights as you are, but by seeing what you are doing, perhaps they’ll use you as a mirror and ask themselves what they’re doing for the causes that they’re passionate about. When you talk or meet people, ask them what they’re passionate about and what they’re doing about it. Conservations like that can be really encouraging. Also, I think the fact that everyone’s so passionate about different things accounts for all the change we are seeing. If I convinced everyone to be passionate about clean water, then who would advocate for justice? or women’s right?

http://akhilak.com/blog Akhila

Kristina, I absolutely love the message you have here! It’s so true that I spend a lot of time, especially here on this blog, trying to persuade people to care about human rights issues, which is the cause I’d advocate for. But maybe this isn’t the best approach to take and maybe I have to work harder on just BEING the best I can be. If I work towards this cause and be passionate about it…maybe people automatically latch onto that. I know that’s actually how I became interested in these issues in the first place, by being inspired by someone I knew who was doing great work in this area. It’s definitely something to think about..

http://www.kristinalugo.wordpress.com Kristina

Thanks so much for the kind words Akhila! Don’t stop advocating for human rights because you have a wealth of knowledge and passion that should be shared with others. The unfortunate truth is that not everyone is or will be as passionate about human rights as you are, but by seeing what you are doing, perhaps they’ll use you as a mirror and ask themselves what they’re doing for the causes that they’re passionate about. When you talk or meet people, ask them what they’re passionate about and what they’re doing about it. Conservations like that can be really encouraging. Also, I think the fact that everyone’s so passionate about different things accounts for all the change we are seeing. If I convinced everyone to be passionate about clean water, then who would advocate for justice? or women’s right?

http://www.globalyouthassembly.ca/ Mandy

Believe me, this is a problem I struggle with a lot as well. I think you’re also on the right track. For me personally, when people try to “convince” me of anything, I get annoyed. I prefer to draw my own conclusions and I feel that if your argument or cause is strong enough, my conclusions would agree but I like it when people inspire me to think and explore rather than telling me what to think.

P.S. I *heart* the crew of 4Real! I had the chance to meet a couple of them (not Sol, though, he missed his flight) and I was touched by how cool they were.

http://www.kristinalugo.wordpress.com/ Kristina

Thanks Mandy! I agree that it is possible to be overly-passionate and aggressive about social issues that it can even turn people off. The key is to be open-minded and to listen instead of simply focusing on winning someone’s heart for [insert cause here].

Who have you met from 4Real? The show is so great! I hope you get a chance to met Sol and hear him speak because his story and actions will definitely inspire.

http://www.globalyouthassembly.ca Mandy

Believe me, this is a problem I struggle with a lot as well. I think you’re also on the right track. For me personally, when people try to “convince” me of anything, I get annoyed. I prefer to draw my own conclusions and I feel that if your argument or cause is strong enough, my conclusions would agree but I like it when people inspire me to think and explore rather than telling me what to think.

P.S. I *heart* the crew of 4Real! I had the chance to meet a couple of them (not Sol, though, he missed his flight) and I was touched by how cool they were.

http://www.kristinalugo.wordpress.com Kristina

Thanks Mandy! I agree that it is possible to be overly-passionate and aggressive about social issues that it can even turn people off. The key is to be open-minded and to listen instead of simply focusing on winning someone’s heart for [insert cause here].

Who have you met from 4Real? The show is so great! I hope you get a chance to met Sol and hear him speak because his story and actions will definitely inspire.

http://rubyku.com/ Ruby

Kris – your passion, optimism, and energy inspire me and keep me going. Thanks for being the best you can be all the time. I’m so grateful to have you on this journey with me.

Akhila – thanks for inviting Kristina. My blog post was inspired by my many conversations with Kris.. I’m loving this Be the Change and the Feature Friday series you put together. I’m learning so much.

http://akhilak.com/blog Akhila

Of course, I’m so glad Kris was able to contribute! I found her blog through yours after all and loved her perspective on things Thanks for bringing us together online!

http://rubyku.com Ruby

Kris – your passion, optimism, and energy inspire me and keep me going. Thanks for being the best you can be all the time. I’m so grateful to have you on this journey with me.

Akhila – thanks for inviting Kristina. My blog post was inspired by my many conversations with Kris.. I’m loving this Be the Change and the Feature Friday series you put together. I’m learning so much.

http://akhilak.com/blog Akhila

Of course, I’m so glad Kris was able to contribute! I found her blog through yours after all and loved her perspective on things Thanks for bringing us together online!

http://akhilak.com/blog Akhila

Kristina, I just wanted to leave (another) comment to challenge you a bit. Since you now work in the corporate world, how do you find this message playing out in your own everyday life? I imagine in the corporate world, it’s a lot harder to “be the change” and inspire people.

If you’re working for a corporation and you are going around talking about social change, how can you continue to inspire others with your passion? Have you encountered challenges in terms of reconciling the corporate world with your passion for social change issues, and how can others deal with this? I imagine I’m also going to be working in the corporate world at some point, so how can anyone deal with these two things without seeming to be a…hypocrite to others?
http://akhilak.com/blog Akhila

Kristina, I just wanted to leave (another) comment to challenge you a bit. Since you now work in the corporate world, how do you find this message playing out in your own everyday life? I imagine in the corporate world, it’s a lot harder to “be the change” and inspire people.

If you’re working for a corporation and you are going around talking about social change, how can you continue to inspire others with your passion? Have you encountered challenges in terms of reconciling the corporate world with your passion for social change issues, and how can others deal with this? I imagine I’m also going to be working in the corporate world at some point, so how can anyone deal with these two things without seeming to be a…hypocrite to others?
kristinalugo

(: Thanks girls. I'm so glad I found you two also. I love reading your thoughts and hearing the lessons that you're learning!
kristinalugo

Akhila, thanks for much for the great questions!

I still am trying to inspire through conversations about social change and also taking the initiative to present opportunities for my firm to “be the change”. I've been so blessed to work for a firm that truly embraces community involvement. Personally, I have joined a social committee and intend on planning community and change-related events, am submitting an idea to our “Change Your World” competition, sharing events (TEDXGTA, eco-fashion show, timeraiser), sharing articles, and want to run an Operation Christmas Child campaign.

As all firms move towards meeting the triple-bottom-line, plan initiatives to help the firm meet this goal (they'll love you, really!). Organize charity-events (about Human Rights), TED tuesdays (with themes), runs/Walks for a cause, etc.

This will in no measure be easy and the challenges I've faced are: corporate-ladder-climbing-focused individuals, apathy, and lack of boldness to speak up and step up. The best way to deal is to find like-minded co-workers (they exist!), to be bold and not be discouraged. It's important to realize that for now, the corporate world is yours to win (right Ruby?). If you do not work to soften their hearts and energize them to do changemakers, who will? The corporate world needs you. Being there is an amazing opportunity to challenge very talented people to use their talents for social good.

This is so long = I hope this somewhat answers your questions (: If not, I have much to share.
RosalindChu

Hi Kristina,
This post has definitely resounded with my sentiments exactly. I spent my freshman year at school working on grassroots advocacy, going to Washington D.C. to lobby for climate change, and trying my hardest to convince my peers why issues such as global warming and hunger and homelessness matter. Like you, while I believe it's important to – when given opportune moments – persuade others (i.e. explaining why drinking from a reusable water bottle is so easy and economically beneficial) for certain issues, at the end of the day, everyone is doing their own individual thing.

It's also reflected in just this blog series alone! Look at the different issues that's been brought up just within these posts! We are all inspired by different individuals, issues, etc., but imagine if we each tried to tackle all of them at once – it'd be counterproductive to do so, because then we'd just be even MORE stressed, worrisome, and perhaps even become too jaded too quickly!

I also love the points you make about working in the corporate world and the potential to inspire others in that way. This is something I'm sure I'll encounter in my career after I graduate from college, and I will definitely keep your advice in mind!
http://www.opheliaswebb.com Elisa Doucette

Kristina, when I first saw the title for this in my Reader I was hesitant. I see far too many people in non-profit/activism work becoming belligerent in their passionate ideals and turning even more people off from the topic.

I was happy and refreshed to see, however, that you are one of the people that *I* feel does it right. And I know it's a matter of semantics, but I would challenge you to instead embrace the persuading you are doing BECAUSE of your passion. In your example of the young Malawian woman, she did in fact persuade you to align with her cause. Not through the in your face, must promote, be brash and brazen persuasion so many of us in activism are encouraged to use, but instead through a quiet persuasion that leads by example.

If more non-profit/activist minded folks would learn to inspire thusly I think we would TRULY have much more persuasion towards a better world.
kristinalugo

Hi Roz,

I'm glad you enjoyed the post =) Lately, I've been seeing this alot on Starbucks cups (The Way I See It #21): “People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the world's diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure, affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others.” — Youssou N'Dour, Musician. I think it's so important to realize that while we're all trying to tackle different issues, we are also all working together to change our world, and for that reason, we can continue to focus on what we're doing and not focus on getting others to join our particular cause.

The corporate world is an amazing place to learn, to grow and challenge yourself. Hopefully, I'll have some great tips and tricks for you by the time you graduate =)
kristinalugo

Hi Elisa. Thanks for the kind words and the challenge =)

I can relate and maybe have even been one of those people who turn others away with their ruthless passion and I'm glad that you can relate to the message I'm trying to convey.

I think your challenge is a challenge to everyone, to continue writing about causes, but focus on action. To continue advocating for justice, but to focus on living it out in everyday actions. To talk to others about our passions, but to remember to listen and focus on conversation.

Caring cannot be forced on anyone and no one likes to be told what causes they should be mindful of and how they should act.

I too am looking forward to a world where activists focus on their actions and inspiring and not persuading =)
akhila

Kristina, thank you so much for the long and eloquent response! I think these are really good points to keep in mind as many of us continue on into the corporate world. I agree that you can continue to advocate for social change in the workplace. But I do think that ultimately, if we have to truly change the world, we have to get out of the corporate world and strike out on our own – whether it means joining an NGO, government, social enterprise, etc, I really think the public sector is the best way to social change in the long run, not the corporate world.
akhila

Yes! I think this is totally true. In economics we'd call this “specialization,” haha — we can't have EVERYONE be a generalist or advocating for the same thing. We need people to specialize so they can advocate for/work towards what they're best at, and that's usually the cause or issue they personally care more about/are more invested in. So, I totally agree.

However I think there is one thing we can all agree on. It's that we should all keep pushing for people to get involved in social change as a whole…because there is room for activism in everyone's life, and whatever form that cause takes it's up to them.
akhila

This is true and I always try to keep it in mind — that sometimes by trying to persuade people so much or overemphasize our point/passion we actually end up turning people off. This has even happened to me when others try to push their agenda in such a manner. It's definitely not attractive.

And I also try to keep in mind that…no matter how much I blog, or write, or talk at the end I have to back it up with action. I try as much as I can to work on these things offline so that I am myself actively doing something, rather than simply conversing about it.
Mandy

I've heard Sol before. He was a keynote at my 2007 conference and was supposed to be on a panel for my 2009 conference but he missed his flight. Sol is pretty cool, great speaker. Josh Thome came for 4real this time around but I didn't get a chance to really speak to him (I was marketing/communications/volunteer coordinator at this conference so I was a little busy) and I worked a bit with Faez before and during the GYA (Global Youth Assembly). Josh is a pretty awesome speaker, I'll admit. I liked it his talk.
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Krislugo

Hi Kristina. This is gonna seem weird. Every once in a while, I google myself just to make sure there's nothing unprofessional about me on the internet in case a potential employer were to search me. Anyway, I came upon your blog. I also am interested in social change, international development, and “Be the change” is one of my favorite Gandhi quotes. Thing is, my name is also Kristina Lugo. Except I'm 38, live near the east coast, and I quit my corporate job to return to school in order to fight human trafficking and slavery. How lovely to find a kindred soul that also shares my name. Blessings to you, and on your quest for clean water. Lord knows what wonders could happen if every Kristina Lugo on the planet followed her passion and got mobilized.

Best, Kris