The Lily pads or the stone
It’s 2020 and, like many Americans, I decided to kick off my new year with a popular resolution – weight loss. But this year, rather than start with the gym membership that would ultimately go unused, I took it nice and easy and started with a brisk Sunday walk around the lake. As I walked along the lake side, I picked up a small stone and threw it into the water. The stone sent ripples through the water causing the lily pads to dance and shift.
Without the rock to disrupt the calm lake, the lily pads would have remained still even if their beauty were obscured by shadows. To spark a change is hard, especially when it goes against the norm. History has taught us that very well; MLK, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Oprah, and so many others who refused to drift, and instead became the stones that sent ripples of change that moved us all.
I stood by the lake smiling as I watched the lily pads dance. I will be a stone that sends waves of change across the lily pads that float calmly in the lake of society norms. I will make sure that everyone has a fair chance to achieve their dreams and are able to be their authentic selves at work, at home, and everywhere else. I work with career.place to give every qualified person a fair chance at a job no matter their demographics, background, or other bias-triggering information.
We have enough lily-pads catching the waves and floating along. We need more stones, speaking up and speaking out, disrupting the norm. So, what do you want to be? The lily-pad that rides the wave or the stone that creates change?