Why “Be Stirred” Exists

At the age of 24, I was a few years out of college, I had a job that paid the bills and gave me a little disposable income. I would come home from work, eat some easy-to-make meal, crack open a bottle of wine with a friend, flip through the television shows until there was nothing left to watch, go to bed, wake up in the morning just to do it all over again. Don’t get me wrong, every night would not be exactly the same. Some nights would consist of rallying a group of girls to hit the hottest L.A. nightspot to indulge in cocktails, star-gazing and picking up guys. Other nights may consist of hitting the gym with a friend followed by an expensive dinner paid for by some hopeful gentleman. Sure, I was having fun, meeting cool people and partying even harder than my years as an Arizona State University Student, but something was still missing and I was not where I hoped to be heading at my age.

Somebody once told me, when planning for my future, to start from my grave and work backwards. I often think about old people in a nursing home or hospital that are immobile, have friends that have all passed, have families that are far away and cannot visit often and I realize that all they have left are their memories. I imagine myself in their shoes and my biggest fear is thinking I had all this potential and all these opportunities and I did nothing with them. I don’t want to think about how I could have made a difference in my life, someone else’s life, my community, the country or the world, but did not.

At the age of 25, I started having experiences that changed the way I viewed the world and life. I never thought I had to care too much about anything other than myself. I did not follow world events too much because I did not personally feel how any of them were affecting me and my life. No matter who was president, republican or democrat, my life seemed to not change. I had the privilege of meeting people like Martin Fisher and Nick Moon, who claim that the biggest need for poor people is a way for them to make money. Together they hope to create a middle class for Africa. They have developed a low-cost irrigation device that allows Africans to plant a crop, irrigate their land and support their families. Today their revenues are equivalent to over 0.5% of Kenya’s GDP and 0.25% of Tanzania’a GDP. I was also introduced to Craig Kielburger, whose concept of childhood was changed forever at the age of 12 by a story of a little boy in Pakistan sold into slave labor for $16 and ultimately murdered. Craig was so affected by the story that he started his own organization, “Kids Can Free The Children” to fight for the rights of children and help stop child labor. They are currently the largest network of children helping children through education in the world.

I also had meetings with people who had become multi millionaires and now all of a sudden were saying to themselves, “now what?” They had thought life was all about accumulation and now that they had accumulated, they were still not feeling fulfilled or happy.

I was encountering people from the poorest cities in the poorest countries that were happy and smiling. These were people who knew their living conditions and surroundings would only improve if they passionately took action in their own hands to try and improve it themselves.

These efforts started with one person taking a chance, showing results and forming a bigger coalition that today is improving lives and saving lives. These people are called Social Entrepreneurs: pioneers of innovation that benefit humanity also known as society’s change makers. These individuals use business minds and business models to create social change. In each case, I was profoundly moved in a way that made me want to better understand myself and do something with my life, both personally and professionally, that really makes me happy. These stories and these individuals have not only inspired me, but changed me in a positive way. I have realized that the world does not revolve around me. I have discovered happiness comes from within and not through accumulation. I know that one person can make a difference and can incite others to do the same. I understand that my generation is filled with the future leaders of the world and it will only benefit me and everyone else to be globally conscious. I believe my generation has been overlooked. Popular culture has been pushed on us not world issues, social activism or social empathy. I have come to realize how big the world is yet how interconnected it is. I have also learned to believe that the universe is working for us, presenting us with opportunities and signs on a daily basis and it is our obligation to take advantage of them.

With everything I have learned, the stories I have seen and heard, and by meeting the world’s non profit leaders, business moguls and even entertainers, all I have wanted to do is share. Whether I was having dinner with the former Vice President of the United States or engaging in an intimate conversation with Sherry Lansing, who is the former CEO of Paramount Studios and the first woman to head a major studio, I could not help but think how great it would be if my peers could experience this too. I could not help but think how conversations would change from Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan (although that can be fun sometimes) to topics that really matter, topics of substance, topics about our lives dreams, our hopes for the future, how we can make the future brighter for ourselves and our children, and to learn about the real ingredients to happiness. That is why this network exists, to expose young adults to the issues of the world, encourage them to stay informed, help people realize that there are many ways to give back other than just volunteering or donating money, share experiences that will help us grow as people and inspire us to unlock our true potential. I invite you to Be Stirred and inspire others.

Be Real and Be Stirred - Paige Rolfe
March 2006

“Be Stirred is a live media outlet that helps different causes and individuals spread their important and timely messages to our network of young adults in a fun, social setting. We feel that live events are the most effective way to reach audiences and motivate them to take action”.