What’s your big idea to change the world?

"One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world." - Malala Yousafzai

This article is part of the Inspiration & Ideas series. Find the list of posts here and the video playlist here.

Have you ever had one of those ideas that was so huge and crazy, you thought it could actually work?

Do you daydream about making something happen that would have a big impact in the world?

Do you ever wonder what you could achieve if you really tried?

Has something happened in your life that was perhaps difficult or challenging, or an event or situation that turned your world upside down?

In order to make anything happen, from planning a party to starting a business, we draw from our own experiences, from those of our friends and family, from the resources that we have around us.

Lots of people have big ideas to do something good, something worthwhile, to give back, to pay it forward. But often those altruistic intentions get lost in real life and responsibilities.

If you’re feeling driven to use your own personal experiences and turn them into an idea that could help others, here are some questions and suggestions to get you started.

You might find the following free online courses useful:

• Developing Your Idea

• Starting Your Group

• Funding Your Project

Where is this desire coming from?

If you have this compelling need to ‘do something’, ‘change something’ or ‘make a difference’, it can be helpful to identify where that desire is coming from.

Is it that you notice some injustice in the world, something that’s not being done, people who are getting overlooked, an area or community being forgotten.

Do you feel angry and frustrated that you can see what needs to change, perhaps it even seems obvious to you, and yet nothing is happening?

Or do you feel sad and heartbroken that things are as they are. Perhaps you want to fix a problem but you just feel overwhelmed and helpless.

Whatever your reasons, make some notes. It can help to get all of that down on paper in order to make room for you to get creative about a solution.

What resources do you have?

Who and what do you have around you that you can draw on – for ideas, for help, for moral support?

Start with your own resources. What skills do you have? What experience do you have? How much time do you have to commit to this work? Do you have any money to invest?

What about others around you? Think about your connections and their networks. What can they contribute?

Another way to think about this is, what exactly do I need to make this happen?

What do you have to say?

You may or may not want to be hauled up onto stage, given a microphone and asked to share your message – I certainly don’t, but you can share that message in many other, more subtle ways too.

Taking action on anything is sending the message out that something can be done and that someone cares. Your message can be in your action, in your perseverance, in the end result, in the way you treat others.

The most profound messages are so often silent acts of kindness. What do you want to say with your words, your actions, and your presence?

If you’re at the stage of ‘Developing Your Idea’, you can find the online training here.

What does this project look like?

If your idea feels ambitious, or it feels like you might just be starting something you could never finish, it can be helpful to try to visualise what your project, work or campaign would look like when it was complete.

Another way to think about this is ‘what would success look like?’ It might be a huge event with everyone clapping and cheering, but it could just as easily be a calm and tidy community garden, a litter free footpath, or simply peace of mind that you have done your bit.

Why does it matter?

What if you didn’t do anything about the problem? What if no-one did? What would happen if the situation was left exactly as it is? We often think about the positive outcomes of a project or action taking place, for example, the local community will have a food bank to rely on, our playground will be safe for children to play in again.

But think about the consequences of not taking action, not doing anything about it. What would be the end result if no-one cared at all?

Why is it important to you?

The reason that you care about something, or feel a situation is not right or fair, is based on your own moral compass, your own upbringing, your own definition of right and wrong.

It’s also based on your very personal and unique life experiences. What is it that you’ve been taught, that you believe, that you’ve experienced, that has resulted in your desire to make a positive difference to this specific cause in this exact way?

Why are you the person to do this?

This is the same and the opposite of the question we all ask ourselves way too often, ‘who am I to do this?’ Who are you to do this? What has led you here? What do you bring to the fight?

When you get knocked back and put down. When someone sprays graffiti over the wall you’ve just cleaned, or steals the lights from the village Christmas tree, or when someone takes advantage of your good will, what is it that you have inside of you that will make you get back up and carry on?

I’d love to know what your big idea is. You can comment below, or simply reply to this email.

Rachel x