Ever since I wrote yesterday’s blog about the True Cost of Fast Fashion, my mind has been darting back and forth to all the occasions throughout my life when I’ve felt a gut-wrenching desire to do something to help; to make a difference to the suffering of others.

I vividly remember the plight of the Vietnamese refugee children in the early 1980s and wondering what it would be like to adopt a baby sister. I remember feeling so touched by the stories post-Chernobyl and cried so many tears over the starving children in Ethiopia. I remember watching GreenPeace demonstrations on television that protested against whaling and secretly wished I could be brave enough to stand up for what I believed in.

But I was a good girl. I obeyed the rules and kept my thoughts and feelings inside. I was too afraid to upset or offend anyone. To this day I’ve never stood on a picket line or protested with placards but I have found my voice.

I now realise that you don’t have to make the loudest noise to make the most difference.

My natural word whispering gift is the one that I can best use to inspire, inform, educate and motivate others. I feel incredibly privileged to be able to share my thoughts with the world and am always humbled by your touching comments.

All across the globe, inspirational people are quietly standing up for the things that mean the most to them. These people have a passion and commit every day to making a difference.

Some do it just for themselves, while others do it for their family, their community, their country, their planet. Some do it for humans, others do it for animals.

But the thing they all have in common is a fire in their belly that keeps burning throughout every challenge, every setback, every fear. 

If you want to make a difference in the world, or to somebody’s life, (or even to your own) it all starts with you turning your thoughts into action.

Take that first step, and the next, and the next.

Never give up.

The consistency of taking heart-led, soul-driven daily action will bring about the change you desire.

So whether you’re considering switching to a plant-based lifestyle, reducing the amount of plastic you use, homeschooling your children, decluttering your home, saving animals, refugees or the environment, writing a book or setting up your own small business, climbing a mountain or taking on a new challenge – just take that ONE first step today.

I’d love to know, what lights the fire burning in your belly?

Lorraine xx