“I’m starting with the man in the mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways. For no lesson could have been any clearer; if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change.” Michael Jackson

Here at Threads, we believe that inner transformation leads to global transformation. We believe that if we want to find world peace, we must first find inner peace. Our theme for May, Inner Peace to World Peace, celebrates this belief.

I like to say that we must heal ourselves in order to heal the world. In a conversation with my thoughtful co-founder, Angela Melfi, we discussed her aversion the world ‘heal.’ Heal, to Angela, means that something is wrong or needs to be fixed in the first place. She believes that there is nothing inherently wrong with us, but in every moment, we have the opportunity to create a life that better serves us and the world.

It’s a powerful notion. But I realized that I’m connected to the word in a different way, so I decided to create my own definition. (Because, really, why shouldn’t I have my own personal dictionary?!)

So, here you have it:

Heal: To restore to integrity; to return to a state of being whole and undivided

This! This is what I mean when I say we must first heal ourselves if we want to heal the world.

Recently, I really came to understand this sentence that I’ve been shouting from the rooftops for years. You see, I’ve been talking the talk but not really walking the walk. I would feel frustrated, sad, and overwhelmed at the division in the world, yet my own mind, body, and spirit were disjointed. Over the past year, my focus has been aligning my personal trinity, and the result has been a feeling of wholeness, of completeness, and of joy.

I am so lucky that my tribe of world-changers shares this intrinsic belief. I am so lucky that my work (though I love it so much it doesn’t even feel like work) allows me to utilize the ways I have empowered myself to empower the lives of others.

When we are healed and living our lives in alignment with our purpose, we inspire others to do the same, which creates a limitless ripple effect.

We CAN change the world—we just have to start with ourselves.