A quote from Steve Jobs has been echoing in my mind: “Everything you see around you was made by people no smarter than you.” If you’re an experienced professional with a comfortable life, some prestige, and a decent financial situation, but you feel that burning inside for not doing what you’re truly meant to do, you’re not alone. That feeling is more common than you might think. The real way to change the world isn’t about privilege or power. Instead, it’s about how ordinary people change the world with ownership.
The Illusion of Security and the Regret of Inaction
Corporate life is a master illusionist. It hands you a steady paycheck, a title, and a sense of belonging. Over time, you may realize you’re just another cog in a machine that doesn’t care if you’re fulfilled, only that you’re functional. The comfort of a regular salary and a predictable routine can be seductive, but it’s also a trap. Security is not the same as freedom. Often, it means giving up your agency and your dreams in exchange for a sense of safety that can vanish overnight.
Jeff Bezos once said, “When you’re 80, and in a quiet moment of reflection… the most telling regrets will be the acts of omission, the paths not taken.” Not the mistakes, but the things you never dared to try. This is a truth that hits hard for many who have spent decades in corporate roles, only to realize too late that they never truly owned their work or their impact.
Bronnie Ware, a palliative care nurse, found that the most common regret of the dying was, “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me” (The Guardian). That’s not just poetic, it’s a warning. The cost of inaction is paid in regret currency. The illusion of security can keep you from ever taking the leap to do something meaningful, something that is truly yours.
How Ordinary People Change the World with Ownership
What does it mean to change the world with ownership? It’s not about waiting for permission or inheriting a title. Instead, it’s about seeing a problem, big or small, and deciding, “I’m going to fix this.” That’s the spark that lights up all entrepreneurs. Ownership is about responsibility, but it’s also about freedom. You get to choose your mission, define your own success, and make a difference on your own terms.
Ownership is not reserved for the privileged or the exceptionally talented. In fact, some of the most impactful changes in the world have come from people who started with nothing but a problem they couldn’t ignore. Special access or a head start wasn’t what set them apart. What they had was the willingness to take responsibility and the courage to act.
Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, is a great example. She wasn’t a fashion mogul or a business prodigy. Selling fax machines door-to-door was her reality when she got tired of uncomfortable underwear and decided to invent something better. She didn’t wait for someone to hand her a solution. Instead, she became the solution. Today, she’s a billionaire, but more importantly, she’s someone who took ownership of a problem and changed the world for millions of women. Her story isn’t just about success; it’s about freedom: the freedom to act, to create, to matter (Forbes).
The Power of Persistence and Paying the Price
The world isn’t changed by the privileged few. It’s changed by ordinary people who refuse to accept the status quo. James Dyson, for example, was frustrated with his vacuum cleaner’s poor performance. He spent years tinkering in his garage, building over 5,000 prototypes before finally launching the Dyson vacuum. No one handed him a golden ticket. He took ownership of a problem and, in doing so, built a company that revolutionized an industry (BBC).
Being the smartest person in the room isn’t what matters. What matters is caring enough to try and being willing to pay the price of persistence until it gets done. Taking ownership and solving a problem no one else fixed before is going to be hard. Sometimes, you don’t even know if someone else tried before and gave up. The difference is that those who succeed are the ones who keep going, who learn from every failure, and who refuse to let setbacks define them.
Ownership means accepting that the journey will be uncomfortable. It means stepping into uncertainty and trusting that your effort will eventually pay off, even if the path is longer and harder than you expected. It’s about resilience, grit, and the willingness to keep moving forward when everyone else has given up.
How Most Ordinary People Do Not Change The World By Never Taking Ownership
It’s easy to stay where it’s safe. The corporate world rewards you for not rocking the boat. Comfort is a sneaky trap. It lulls you into thinking you have all the time in the world. One day you look up and realize the world has moved on without you. The energy and time you have now are your most valuable assets. Don’t spend them padding someone else’s legacy.
I’ve seen this in my own life. For years, I convinced myself that my job was “good experience” (the human mind can come up with unlimited excuses), that the perks and the pay were worth the nagging sense that I wasn’t doing what I was meant to do. The truth is, comfort can be the enemy of growth. Only when you step outside your comfort zone and take ownership of your path do you start to see what you’re really capable of.
Acting Now: The Window of Opportunity
If you’re reading this, you not only have time, you have something burning inside. You need to take action as soon as possible. The world is full of problems waiting for someone to take ownership. Maybe it’s starting a solo business, launching a SaaS product, or simply fixing something in your community. The act of taking ownership is the first step toward how ordinary people change the world with ownership.
I’m writing this blog as I learn and start taking action to break free myself. I’m not saying it’s easy, and I’m definitely not saying I have already mastered it completely. There will be risks, setbacks, and moments when you wonder if you’ve lost your mind. What most people call an alternative, waiting for someone else to give you permission or for the perfect moment to arrive, isn’t an alternative at all. It’s an illusion that wastes lives and makes the last years of people the worst before they die.
The window of opportunity is now. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to break free from the inertia of comfort. The world needs people who are willing to take ownership, to step up and solve problems, to create value where none existed before. You don’t have to change the entire world overnight. Start with one problem, one idea, one step. The act of ownership is what sets you free.
Lessons Learned and Your Next Step
Here’s what I’ve learned: Real freedom isn’t about escaping responsibility. It’s about embracing it. The people who change the world aren’t the ones with the most privilege or the fanciest degrees. They’re the ones who see a problem and decide to own it. If you’re feeling stuck, restless, or unfulfilled, maybe it’s time to stop waiting and start acting, no matter how ready you think you are. And I can give you a hint to save you time: you’ll never be ready before you start taking action. It will always feel uncomfortable and that’s OK.
Ownership is the antidote to regret. It’s the path to meaning, fulfillment, and real freedom. The world is waiting for ordinary people to step up and make a difference. You have the power to change your life and the lives of others, but only if you take that first step.
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The courage to take ownership today is the freedom you’ll thank yourself for tomorrow.
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