How choice affects others

My posts about risk-taking assume that you have a choice. You can choose to stand on the sidelines, blend into the background, follow the crowd and cling to the status quo, or you can choose to do something that might be uncomfortable but will move you closer to your natural self. Either way, it’s your choice.

I choose to take risks because I can. I choose to take risks because the resources necessary to try new things and improve my life are at my disposal. I don’t have to go very far to find the support I need to be successful. Usually just a laptop does the trick. Oh, and the iPhone helps a little bit too.

Something I often don’t think about is how many young women in the world don’t have that choice. For girls who live in poverty, their choice gets taken from them by their life circumstances as early as age 12. A lot of those girls get pregnant by the time they are 14.

If you haven’t a clue what I’m talking about, watch this video and then visit The Girl Effect. Even if you do have a clue, watch the video anyway.

As someone who writes to inspire women to take control of their lives, I’m sobered by these facts. My words can’t reach these girls, let alone affect them. If women want to read my words, they need a laptop or an iPhone.

So I choose to do what I can. I sponsor a 9-year-old girl from Indonesia through World Vision. I write here to help spread the word. And I add my words to the voices of other bloggers contributing to the Girl Effect Blogging Campaign started by Tara Sophia Mohr.

You can choose to do the same.