The Power of a Few

May 7

How many times in your life have you thought to yourself that your actions of today may change the world of tomorrow?

Many people may think that their influence in this world is very small to none. In the bigger spectrum of things, it may be true. Although, have you considered how change comes about? What is the catalyst for change? Or should I ask, who is or are the catalyst(s) for change?

Many will say that no change has come about without a collective whole working together to make a difference in this world. And that everyone needs a team to accomplish something meaningful. I would say that they are right to some degree. But what about the beginning of their movements, their efforts, or the advancements they offer to humanity?

Take Elon Musk for example, an individual who may very well be considered the single most successful and influential innovator of today. At the same time, yes, he has flaws. And yes, he has failed to fulfill his promises in many regards. If you do your research on him though, can you genuinely tell me he is not a creative genius who has overcome the hardest of obstacles?

But how? His success stems not only from the thousands of the most talented individuals on this planet working for him, but by his ability to selectively bring on the best individuals in his closer circle to help him achieve unimaginable feats. It is from his meager beginnings at every company he founds, combined with an undeniably hard work ethic to start, that he is able to overcome the tasks most people call “impossible.”

Take another individual as an example of a catalyst for change, Rosa Parks. An African American woman, not unlike many people who challenged the status quo of segregation laws, whose 1955 act of protest earned her the nickname, “Mother of the Freedom Movement.” Her refusal to give up a seat to a white passenger on a bus became for many, one of the most influential acts for and a symbolic start to the civil rights movement. Her act led to a boycott which lasted 381 days and captured the world’s attention.

It isn’t the group with the wrong motives who achieves, but the individuals or a collective few who lead with purpose, guide with intelligence, and overcome with unimaginable strength. It does not matter for what cause they are fighting or what overall goals they want to achieve. It matters that there is a meaning behind what they are doing and that they will do anything to achieve their goals.