Leverage

Leverage
verb
1. Opposite of jaded, cynical, helpless. Assumes the ability to find a personal, unique solution to any circumstance encountered.
2. See also: Power. Influence. Connected. Involved. Originates from the create force in all of us. Unlimited in scope and potential

Two weeks ago I watched the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth." If you haven't seen it yet, you should. It's a harbinger for our generation. It's also very easy to walk out on this movie thinking an issue as big as global warming and climate change is beyond one's individual ability to influence. Nothing is farther from the truth.

Life is about leverage. Leverage is about power, influence, and connection. How much do you have and where do you want to use it? Like the change of single light bulb, each of us has the power to enact massive change in our world. If you don't believe me, follow along...

Example: At the literal level we know that a single light bulb switched over to its energy-efficient variety cuts energy usage nearly 75%. Focus on the literal one bulb and we miss the metaphorical big change. The question with all of this boils down to this:

How many light bulbs do you have?

Literally, I've got a lot of bulbs burning right now, say 60 at present. For less than $40 at my local Home Depot I can swap out every one for it's compact flourescent cousin. Assuming I have each of those bulbs on for 10 hours/day and each bulb goes from 60 to 13 watts, I've just enacted change on the scale of 13,140 to 2,846 kW-hours/year while saving roughly $3,385/year in energy costs in the process.

But hey, why stop there? What if I took others along for the ride? As a member of a local real estate club, what if I created and promoted the idea of a conversion kit for other property owners as well. The cost savings are clear. And what if we created a common logo and what if we promoted this when advertising our apts - ie: low cost, energy-friendly apartments. And it needn't even stop there. What else could we accomplish by continuing to ask, "what if..."

Abandon apathy. Surpass cynicism. Leverage begins with a simple question:

How many light bulbs do I have before me today?