Tag: convincing others

Changing Decided Minds

A buddy asked me
how she could convince
her very decided sister
she should worry about COVID.

I said, “I don’t know.”
But I thought,
“You don’t.”

Convincing someone
whose mind is made up
to change their mind
is EXTREMELY difficult,
if not impossible.

It takes a disaster-level event.

We’re not going to easily convince
a vegetarian to buy
our all beef hamburgers
or
a couch potato
to train for a marathon.

We COULD, however,
convince someone who is undecided.

We COULD convince
someone who eats a variety of things
to buy our all beef hamburgers
or a person
who works out when it’s fun
to train for a marathon.

Focus on the undecided.

The Ripple Effect

A recent study
showed
the best way to convince others
to switch to solar
is to install
solar panels on our own roofs.

Those others we’ve convinced
will then install
solar panels on THEIR roofs
and that will influence
more people to invest in solar.

Our actions might seem small,
might seem insignificant
but they have ripple effects.

If we offer paper bags
as an alternative
in our stores,
surrounding businesses
are more likely to offer paper bags
as alternatives.

The businesses surrounding them
are then more likely to offer paper bags
as alternatives.

Our actions have ripple effects.
They are more powerful
than we realize.

Take that great-for-the-world action.
Make this planet a better place.
Leave that as one of your legacies.