Today marks a big day for Ethos3. We’ve graduated from our windowless space in the basement of Cummins Station to a spacious house in East Nashville fit with walls, windows, a kitchen and more. We’re just a stone’s throw from historic Five Points, and the new office is buzzing with excitement this morning as we get settled in our new digs. All this moving, organizing and settling into a new place made us start thinking about change, and how, despite inherent difficulties, it’s a wonderful catalyst for inspiration.
Change is defined as the act or instance of making or becoming different. Sometimes change can be painful, sometimes it can be carefree, but more often that not, it’s a mixture of the two extremes. The beauty of change lies in its intrinsic ability to make someone or something different than how it was previously. It’s the result of something important, of something memorable. We’ve always said that a great presentation can change the world– a fact that is exciting and extremely possible.
Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” and while those words now border on trite, they’re critical for the individual to remember, especially when everything seems crippling insignificant and unachievable. The world doesn’t have to mean the entire universe, all 7 billion people on the planet; the world can signify those 15 people listening to your presentation, the world can represent your family, your friends.
Don’t fall into the trap of becoming daunted or discouraged by the notion that changing the world means changing the entire face of the world. Rather, find inspiration in the fact that you have the means to change your own part of the world, your little piece of the puzzle. Fortunately, our presentations have the means to do just that. They disseminate our ideas, our thoughts, our beliefs to a receptive audience. They have the power to change people’s minds; they have the power to change the way people choose to live their lives. Don’t overlook or underestimate the potential your presentations have to influence those listening.
And so, we’ll leave you with an inspirational landmine courtesy of Apple, a company that has truly changed the face of the world:
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
