Have you ever wanted
to make a change?
Are
you passionate about something that no one else seems to care about?
Do you
have a million ideas swimming in your head, but no one will listen?
Welcome to
my world! There are times when I feel so
passionate about something that I can't even focus! For example; the subject I'm writing on today. About a week ago I had this 'epiphany' after church that resulted in TWO different 'rant rages', where I vented everything I was feeling to my roommate and friend. Sometimes, my passion can get a bit scary! When I believe in a change, I hold faith in it wholeheartedly. There are so many things within our world
that need to be fixed and changed, and I want to do that.
I want to change the
world!
Before I move on to my next point,
I would like to explain what spurred this thought process: I was watching a
Disney movie again. Sadly, I can’t call
this one an animation intervention because it was The Princess Diaries. I
really didn’t focus too much on the movie because I was working on homework,
but there was one part that gained my explicit attention. Near the end of the movie, while Mia and
Lilly were fighting, Mia mentions that she is no longer going to be a princess because
just the thought of it is a nightmare. Lilly
quickly jumped back with a reply that got the gears in my brain moving.
“Think about it! I
just found out that my cable show only reaches 12 people. Wanting to rock the world, but having zip
power like me—now that’s a nightmare”
This is
where ALL of my frustrations have been born from. You know how hard it is to make an impact with 73
followers on Twitter, 5 YouTube
Subscribers, and Millions of Ideas? I
can talk and rant all I want on here, but no change will ever take place
because I am only little Miss Lizzy. It
almost moves me to tears knowing that people aren't going to take what I say to
heart because I’m not famous: I can't sing, I can't act, and I don't have the looks for modeling. Sometimes it seems like the only way to make a significant change at my age is to sing, act, or model. However, I’m
not writing this to tell you my sob story. I have no doubt that I will make a
change one day. I have enough confidence,
and I believe in my dreams enough that I know it will happen, but I want to
focus on the people who don’t have to wait for their ‘fan-base’. This post is about the present people who can make a change now! I want to focus on the celebrities who got MILLIONS
of followers just by pursuing their dreams.
Let’s look at a few:
Justin
Bieber is currently an 18 year-old singer/artist with 33,921,938 Twitter
followers.
Jack
Harries is currently a 19 year-old vlogger with 1,015,970 YouTube Subscribers.
In all, the boys of One Direction have around 45,838,100
Twitter followers.
(Numbers found on Twitter.com and YouTube.com)
Can we
just take a moment and think this through?
Honestly, it seems like these people CONTROL us.
We hang on their every word in the hopes that we ‘might’ be noticed or ‘retweeted’. They could say one thing like, "I like girls who eat carrots." and start a carrot TAKEOVER! With one single tweet, any of these people
could make a HUGE impact! Justin Bieber
is my age, and he holds the power I want and need in order to install change. It’s just… WOW!
“Wow is having the power to affect change. Make people listen! How many teenagers have that power?” (Lilly
from The Princess Diaries)
To move
on, my next question is what I really want to focus on: What do they do with
the power they have? Let’s take a look at some tweets or videos these people uploaded:
Justin retweeted
what several of his fans had so say about his new album. Jack uploaded a video answering silly questions his fans
sent him. One Direction, on the other hand, is well-known for
using their many followers for ‘advertising’ (Ex: VOTE FOR US).
***Before I go on I want to make it very clear that I do not
hate or dislike any of these people. I
am in love with Justin’s new acoustic album, I look up to Jack as a vlogger because it is a skill I want to acquire
(really bad at it), and I am a hard-core Directioner. I could have picked any other random
celebrities but these people were the most well-known to me, and I’m using them
to get my point across to you. Also, I understand
that these celebrities may have more ‘inspirational’ tweets or videos in the past, but I am
trying to make a point.***
Now, look back at what these people
have recently talked about. I’m sorry
but if I had even HALF of the followers they do, I wouldn't be tweeting about
my next album or what I had to eat. I’d
be challenging my followers EACH AND EVERY DAY to do something amazing. It almost makes me sick knowing that these people hold the power to really influence change and they tweet about their dinner. No, I don’t expect these people to completely
stop using Twitter or YouTube the way they have been. I applaud them on using their resources for
free advertising, thanking the fans, and having fun. But imagine this: You’re getting ready to go
to a (insert favorite artist here)
concert. You’re super excited and can’t
wait to sing all night long. Right
before you leave you check Twitter one last time, and you see that your
favorite artist sent out a tweet that said, “Can’t wait 4 the show 2night! U
know what would make it better? If my fans brought their old coats, hats, &
gloves! We could make a change!”
Honestly, if One Direction asked me to do this, I’d be running through
my house grabbing ALL of my old clothes.
Can you imagine the impact they could make?! Justin Bieber
has sold over 15 million albums worldwide.
Imagine if he made the promise that $.50 from each album sold would go to cancer
research. In all, he would have donated
7.5 million dollars to cancer research. Jack
Harries’ has reached fame over YouTube to the point that people send him tons
of mail! Jack usually has his twin,
Finn, help him open the mail. Finn,
being cheeky, decided to be funny and say that the fans should send them
money. They both immediately shot the
idea down and told their fans not to.
However, in their next mail video, there were several envelopes and
packages with money inside. Imagine if
these boys were to say that any money sent to them would go to the homeless
shelter? They received money even when
they said they didn’t want it! If people know that their money is going to good cause, they are more likely to send it. Need more examples? One
Direction recently had a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. If my research is correct, that’s about
20,000 screaming fans. Imagine if they
asked their fans to bring ONE CAN of food for the food pantry. That’s 20,000 cans that can go to families in
need. TWENTY THOUSAND! I can’t even write in words how much good
that could do! These guys could basically mobilize an army for a cause.
It’s seriously mind-blowing how much
of a change a little action can make, and it’s not only the action by them that
could make this possible. Yes, I was
just whining about not being able to make a big change without a huge fan base,
and yes, my impact isn't as big as 7.5 million dollars, but that doesn't mean I’m
gonna stop trying. The biggest excuse
people use is; “I can’t give millions of dollars, so why should I even
bother! My small donation won’t make a
change.” First, every little thing
helps. You may find the McDonald’s menu
unhealthy and not worth a dollar, but that small fresh sandwich would mean the
world to someone scrounging through the trash for dinner. Put yourself in their shoes. Wouldn't you want someone to help? Second, you don’t have to give a monetary
donation. Instead, donate your
time. Spending 30 minutes to walk dogs
at the local shelter is a much better use of your time than watching funny cat
videos on YouTube. Don’t let any
opportunity fly by. Even if it's small, it will still make some sort of a positive impact.
“And then I realized how many
stupid times a day I used the word "I". In fact, probably all I ever
do is think about myself. And how lame is that when there's, like, 7 billion
other people out there on the planet… But then I thought: if I cared about the
other 7 billion out there instead of just me.
That’s probably a much better use of my time.” (Mia from The Princess Diaries)
If you’re one of those ‘famous’
people I’m referring to, please don't take my words as hate. Take them as a challenge. Take my words and put them
into action. No, you don’t have to stop tweeting
about your next album or what you had to eat, but take advantage of your
fan-base. I’m trying to get you to
understand the power you hold. Don’t sit
there and think, “Wow, this girl has a great way with words! I’m gonna add her on
Twitter!” Thanks, but NO! Don’t add me on Twitter or support me if you aren't going to take my words to heart.
Your true test isn't if my words ‘hit you’.
Your test is your reaction.
Your test is right now.
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