A Checklist for Changing the World

Where should we go?

We humans have been asking this question of ourselves and our communities for millennia; however, for most of us, throughout most of history, acting upon our answers was too costly. That’s putting it too mildly. How about culturally prohibited, criminalized or violently quashed? Indeed, manifesting social change was reserved for the wealthy and powerful few. Their stories were the stories that shaped the arc of social change. That’s no longer true. Well, it’s still sorta true. However, advances in technology are dismantling significant barriers to our entry into the storytelling space. In turn, increasing numbers of us have the historic opportunity to offer up our own answers, connect, collaborate, and collectively participate in the process of local and systemic change.

After thousands of years of living in hierarchically organized human civilizations, we – the masses – have the opportunity to share our stories. For social innovators everywhere, it’s a great time to be alive!

Yet, many of us may not know where to begin. That’s perfectly understandable. Seriously, it’s only been a couple of decades since we’ve gotten this opportunity. But, imagine how the arc of social change would bend if we knew where and how to begin. Toward achieving that end, I created the How to Change the World (HTCTW) Checklist.

The HTCTW Checklist is a freely available, bootstrapping, do-it-yourself, social-good-project-building-blueprint that gets you and your idea for changing the world started in a self-funding manner. It’s comprehensive, chronologically ordered and accompanied by free tools, resources, and how-to-guides.

So, How to Change the World, isn’t that a grandiose name for a checklist?

It is. But, consider this causal chain of reasoning. One way that we can change the world is by changing public policy. And, who changes public policy? Politicians. Now, let’s be honest. Politicians are politicians. With enough of a nudge, their public policy positions will shift with public sentiment. Public sentiment changes with changes in our culture. And, how do we alter our culture? Storytelling. Storytelling is just us. You and me showing up and sharing our lived experiences with others. It is also you and me sparking conversations, launching campaigns and mobilizing movements. Now, this causal chain of reasoning makes changing the world sound quick and easy. It is not. Far from it. Sustainable social change is a long and arduous process. But, the HTCTW Checklist is a place to start.

And, since we all know that it’s the start that stops most of us, I’m launching a free online HTCTW Course for those looking for more guidance with the checklist and some help with dissipating the paralyzing fear that attends the beginning of any new project.

The HTCTW Course is for anyone from anywhere with a social good project at any stage of development. Enrollment is happening now. But, please note that space is limited.

So, where should we go?

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If you enjoyed this blog, you may enjoy my This is the Work newsletter.

Thanks. – shawn