Publisher's Message
Lessons Learned in a Decade of Change
Dear Friends and Readers,
It was ten years ago when I embarked on the journey that has been the greatest adventure of my life. If you’ve ever been on an adventure,
then you know exactly what I’m talking about. They deliver varying degrees of exhilaration and challenge. Looking back on how these have influenced my life, I’ve discovered some lessons worth sharing:
1) People will believe in you if you give them something to believe in. When I first started Change as Small Change News in 2000, I did not know many people in my community. I simply began to share my vision with strangers! People believed in my vision: To create a publication that connected people with one another through the inspiring words and examples of others who are “becoming the change they wish to see in the world.” My community supported me so that I could support my vision. I am forever grateful to these people.
2) Challenge builds strength, character and success. Don’t we all love it when everything goes our way? Well, in the monthly magazine business, that rarely happens! The finished product is beautiful, but getting there is the result of hard work and jumping through hoops and over hurdles to meet monthly deadlines. It’s a gritty business! At first I berated this aspect of my work, but then I discovered it is necessary. Like the grain of sand in the oyster…which eventually yields the pearl. I am becoming cultivated!
3) Bigger is not better. There’s something to be said for quality vs. quantity. From the beginning, I wanted to be the next Oprah magazine. I had my sights set on expanding my message and changing the world! Well, so far, the world has had other plans for me. I really wanted to do things “my way,” until I began to figure out that maybe I should stop clinging to what I want, and let Change naturally unfold in its own way and in its own time—with gentle direction from me rather than relentless pursuit. What a relief from self imposed misery!
Space is an issue in the magazine world. And I’ve used up most of mine for this message. Just one more lesson, the most important of all, is this:
Change is the only constant in the universe. It’s pretty much all you can depend upon in life. A sincere “Thank You” to all who have embraced my monthly dose of Change – readers, advertisers, our staff and everyone who has contributed to this amazing journey.
Onward,
Carla