I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time - Elwyn Brooks "E. B." White

This morning, I woke up feeling particularly inspired. It was (I think) thanks to a wonderfully inspiring book I was flicking through at bedtime: ‘One Wild life’ by Clare Mulvany.

Let me start off by saying that I met Clare a few years ago and consider her a friend. But rest assured, I wouldn’t give her book such an enthusiastic recommendation if I didn’t think it merited it.

A few years back, Clare undertook a self-funded world tour to interview the people who make the world a better place. Clare interviewed these rare entrepreneurial souls who strive for equality and justice rather than profit, using their business skills and passion to change the lives of millions of people.  She travelled through Ireland, Africa, Asia, India, the Pacific and the United States painting a portrait of what modern do gooders are like. It was a ‘Journey to Discover People Who Change Our World’.

‘One Wild Life’ weaves a rich tapestry of interviews, diary extracts and blogs together with beautiful photographs. The book is colourful, refreshing and unique. There’s a sense of immediacy and action not often found in social writing, which tends (in my experience) to be theoretical and rather rigid. The practical tips woven throughout are both practical and motivational, while her recommendations for undertaking your own trip convey a real sense of adventure and excitement.  

She meets people like Dr Peter Mugyenyi in Uganda, who has been working to make anti-Retroviral medicines available to African aids sufferers. Ben Ogunyo who was a street child in Kenya until a man showed him some compassion. Today, he works with street children and has seen many go from being unable to read or write to be accepted at the top schools in the country. She meets the founders of Kiva, the Irish Director of Amnesty International and observes innovative new solutions to age old problems, such as irrigation.

She travelled in both the developing and developed world emphasising that there are opportunities for social entrepreneurs anywhere there is injustice. As Martin Luther King Jr said, “injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere”.

If you’re interesting in changing the world (even just a very little bit!), then read this book. If you’re inspired by the powerful biographies of others who have often triumphed over adversity and now fight disadvantage, this would be a great book for you. If you’re searching for a unique gift for a friend, buy this book.

Clare’s blog is also well worth a visit. You can buy her book from Amazon here.

Let me leave you with the quotation that sparked Clare’s journey:

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.”
Goethe

Feel free to share your dreams and plans in the comments.