Who remembers The Transformers? Originating as a Japanese toy line created by Takara, Hasbro bought the rights and rebranded the toys in 1984. The animated TV series and comic books launched later that year.

The story was based on giant aliens and evil robots waging war with themselves. The fate of the world was at stake.

Someone must have looked into a crystal ball when they wrote that storyline.

Earth is at war with itself.  There is an ongoing battle – between good and evil, right and wrong – and it’s impossible to ignore.  There are those determined to undermine earth’s natural order, strip away the rights and freedoms our forefathers fought and died for.  Some would prefer to see the world and all its resources go up in flames for the sake of a dollar. And the obvious inequity between the haves and the have nots is too painful to overlook.

The real life evil robots figured out that if we continue to fight amongst ourselves with petty differences, they can carry on with their plans, mostly unnoticed.  It keeps us tired, exhausted in fact, beaten down by chaos while they get richer. It’s a grand scheme that keeps us distracted and miserable and it’s worked well so far.

Aside from those who benefit the most, can anyone say they are happy with the way things are going in the world today?

While it’s easy to despair, lose hope, and live in constant anger, there is a solution.

It starts with you.

Begin by taking a hard look at your life.

Not to be critical.

To become self-aware.

Your emotions will tell you a lot – what makes you happy, sad, scared, angry or disappointed? 

When you are around certain people or in certain environments, how do you feel?  Do you feel relaxed and at peace? Or do you feel anxious and upset?  Does your job or relationship bring joy or is it weighing you down?

Listen to your body. Those chronic health issues are messengers too.

If that seems like too much, you can continue down the familiar path and blame everyone else for everything that is wrong with your life and your world.

When you refuse to work on yourself, it’s easy to view others as the problem. (And sometimes they are.)

Every disagreement becomes someone else’s fault.  Every failed relationship can be brushed off without any personal accountability.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who will never do this introspective review. Pride stands in the way. They let fear or shame prevent them from facing their demons.

Growth begins when you stop asking “Why does this keep happening to me?” and start asking “What is this trying to teach me?”

Look for patterns, recurring themes in your life. 

Self-awareness is uncomfortable because it requires us to look at the parts of ourselves we would rather ignore or forget.

But unless we take the time to analyze and review, those same wounds, habits, and cycles will repeat.  The faces and names may change but the patterns stay the same.

Think you’re not strong enough? The strongest people are not perfect. Hardly. We fall, we get back up. We keep moving forward no matter how difficult life gets.

So, if you’re serious about changing the world, I just handed you the roadmap.

And no, it’s not easy.  It’s freaking hard. You will sob, you will seethe and rage, over and over, and bit by uncomfortable bit, you will heal.

Real transformation begins when you realize changing yourself will always take you further than trying to change everyone else.

Be a transformer.

Did you know September is Suicide Awareness Month in Canada? And did you know I lost my father to suicide in 1983? My Dad fought a good fight but the system failed him over and over. He deserved far better than he got.

If you’re curious about my reasons for this blog – it’s all for him. If I can prevent one loss of life, I’ve served my purpose. I’ll share more of his story on Thursday, September 10 – World Suicide Prevention Day.