I bet there’s something in your life that your friends are tired of hearing about. I bet every time they even have an inkling that you are going to start on your rant or tirade, they role their eyes, sigh, and get ready for your face to turn red. At least, I hope that happens to you.

One of my mentors once spoke to a group of women and urged them to find a “pound-the-table” issue, meaning something you are so fired up about, so passionate for, so enraged by, so enflamed at the thought of it, that you start ranting, preaching, maybe even pounding the table with your fists the instant someone brings it up. For her, it was adoption. The thought of children being unloved by parents made her feel sick and sorrowful. It broke her heart.

So, she became an advocate for adoption. She encourages all of the young women she mentors to pray for children to be adopted, to encourage adoption agencies and future parents, and she especially encourages them to consider adopting children one day. She and her husband had four children at the start of last year, and finally adopted their fifth child, and I am happy to say that he is in a safe and loving home because of his adoptive mother’s heart that breaks for children.

She is a great example of pound-the-table issues, because she took ACTION. Don’t be all talk. Walk the walk. It’s important to find meaning, purpose and value in our lives, and to have a goal to which we can dedicate service, commitment and love. So, find something that’s going to dare you to move.

Steps to Take Action

1. Make it YOURS: Find something that lights a fire under you. For my mentor, it was adoption. Maybe you’re a feminist, and you can’t stop thinking about Emma Watson’s recent “He for She” speech. Maybe you’re devastated by the dangerous climate change, and you’re obsessed with hearing about the recent UN movement in New York. Maybe you love puppies, you cry at the thought of Marley and Me and you want all animals to have a safe home. Maybe you’re about social justice. Maybe you’re about recycling. Maybe you want to find a cure for cancer. Maybe you’re about peace tactics. Maybe you’re about physical health. Maybe you love the elderly. Whatever it is, own it. Make it a passion. Let the world know you care about whatever it is you CHOOSE to care about.
2. Research: It’s all fun and games, until someone asks you follow-up questions about, oh, let’s say… climate change. And you are stumped. You don’t really know what’s going on. If you’re going to be passionate about something, you have to know it! Do some research. I’m not saying that you have to be the world’s leading expert in recycling habits, but you should know enough to explain how you want to dedicate some effort to solving the problem.
3. Be a Part of the Change: Take some action. Go to conventions, read articles, write about the issue, attend rallies and meetings about it…whatever! Maybe you’ll buy a t-shirt that donates part of the funds to finding a solution. That helps! Maybe you’ll start your own fundraising campaign. That’s awesome. Adopt puppies. Adopt kids. Buy t-shirts. Join a team or club. Run a campaign. Blog about it. Whatever works for you, just let it be a part of your life, and let yourself know that you can be an important part of changing the world because you chose to be passionate about something.

So, heat up the conversation and make some noise about what’s important to you. Chances are, it’s important to a lot of people, and they want to join you. Get so fired-up about something that you cannot help but be a part of its movement. Make a move. Pound the table.

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