Becoming a Social Activist

I’ve learnt over the years that social action can have many positive benefits in our personal development, personal education, and professional opportunities in life. Social action can vary from meeting up with inspiring friends and mentors, to joining in classes at a university. Based on some of my own experiences in: taking positive social action that can change your life, here are 3 ideas I want to share with you that you can easily use in your life right now.

#1: Choose the Right Friends

I had no idea at the beginning of this journey how lonely the entrepreneurial path I was about to embark on was going to be. I was quite popular growing up with my many friends, and in my community. But when I found a huge lack of support from some of my closest friends, it was hard to deal with. I don’t know if they didn’t believe I could do what I was setting out to do, or if they were just too busy with their own lives to worry about all of my dreams. Either way, the support I hoped for from those people never materialised. This experience served as an important lesson for me. I learned that if I was going to be successful I could not rely on the same structures and mindsets that got me this far. I decided I would have to step outside my comfort zone. And what I found out along the way was that once I started going after my dreams, the right people came into my life and offered the supportive relationships I needed. So don’t worry about all of the little details right now – go after your dreams and you will meet the right people at the right time.

#2: Let Go of the Past

Everyday we see or meet people, men and women, young and old, black and white from around the world, that are settling for less than they deserve. Sometimes this is because of events which were beyond their control; situations that crushed their confidence and self-belief, and now their lives repeat in negative cycles that they feel ill-equipped to break. Sometimes it can be very difficult to look into the future. My question to you is, have you tried? Have you actually taken the time to sit down for a while, somewhere relaxed and quiet, to think about the type of future that you want to have? I really want to encourage you to give it a try. When you search for and find a vision and purpose for your life, the clouds will clear.

#3: Educate Yourself

I’ve worked inside prisons and met several prisoners that are serving life or indefinite sentences, that have chosen to study university courses online while they are in prison in order to maximise their skills and leave jail with the means to live a different life. In the world we live in today, there really can be no excuse for not making something of our lives. Information is in abundance. Personally, I just made it through school, getting my GCSE’s. However, I dropped out of college and didn’t get my A Levels, or go to university straight away. It wasn’t until many years later that I applied to study at a university. And what got me in wasn’t my academic results, it was my life experience. In my pursuit of personal growth and development I learned the importance of self-education. Although studying at any university is always a good thing, I realised that the ‘system’ wasn’t designed to help us realise our God-given potential. So it is important for us all to take full responsibility of our own learning. Personally, I think reading is a great way to do this, and through the years I have read books by people like Ralph Waldo Emerson and many others.

These are just three ideas that have worked well for me in my life when it comes to taking positive social action. As you begin to dream more, educate yourself, and spend time with new friends that inspire you, you will quickly find that your vision for your life will start to become reality. So give it a try.

Errol Lawson is an Award Winning Author, Speaker the founder and director of Emerge Leadership UK CIC. These tips were taken from strategies shared in Errol’s book, Teenpreneur. Check it out here on Amazon.

Written by Erroll Lawson

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