“Be the change you wish to see.”

We’ve all heard Gandhi’s famous words, “Be the change you wish to see.” It sounds so simple—so wise and noble. But how often do we truly live it?

The other day, I stepped into the elevator, and, like many mornings before, I noticed myself silently judging those around me. 

“Why can’t people say a simple good morning?”
“Why do we all stare down at our phones, avoiding eye contact, acting like we don’t even exist to one another?”
“How hard can it be to offer up a smile?”

I kept having these thoughts, day in and day out, until, one day, I caught myself.

I realized: I was doing the very thing I was frustrated with. I wasn’t saying good morning when a neighbor entered the elevator. I wasn’t offering a smile. I was just standing there, looking down at my—yes—phone, silently wishing everyone else would act differently.

And then I thought to myself, “Wait. Why can’t I be the very change I wish to see?”

It’s human nature to look outward before we look inward. We often expect others to behave better, to set the tone, to make the effort—before we’re willing to do it ourselves. We wait for someone else to lead, someone else to be kind first, someone else to speak up. But when we do that, we give away our power. We forget that we can go first. That we can set the tone.

The day I chose to smile and say, “Good morning!” in that elevator, something shifted. Not necessarily in everyone else—but in me. I felt lighter. Warmer. More in control of the energy I was putting into the world.

And to my surprise, some people smiled back. One person even said, “Thanks, I needed that.” Not every time. But enough to remind me: This is what change looks like—tiny, human and often invisible at first.

So here’s my invitation to you:

• What’s one area of your life where you’re waiting for others to go first?

• What would it look like to go first instead?

• And what might shift if you did?

Change doesn’t require a massive transformation. Sometimes, it starts with a small smile in a quiet elevator. And keeping your phone on silent in your pocket.

Be the change. Not because others will follow.
Be the change—because that’s who you choose to be.