Broken Healthcare System. Climate Emergency. Financial Crisis. Sky high Property Prices. Social Inequality. Do these glum headlines sound familiar? Despite my incredible positive outlook on life, when all you see on the news is headlines like this it can be demoralising – just one reason why I no longer watch the news. However, the optimist in me see’s these as our generations greatest challenges. A chance for us to show those before us and those who will come after that we were faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges and not only did we solve them, but as a consequence moved the entire human race forward for the better.
What makes me have the belief that we have what it takes to solve these issues? Because we have no choice! Usually I am a big believer in the saying ‘ you always have a choice’ and to an extent that is still true in all of the situations I have been in. However, not having any other alternative is a very powerful tool to propel action and change, whether that means solving the worlds issues head on or coming up with new and innovative ways, which could be out of our comprehension at the present moment, to avoid them altogether.
Let’s take the climate emergency as an example, young people now have grown up with this being very real issue for most of their adult lives. People being born recently will be immersed in the issue for probably the rest of their lives. The question some have is why has it taken so long for people to pay attention? In my opinion, it’s because it hasn’t caused a real impact on the people who traditionally are in positions to affect change, so why would they feel compelled to change – when I say real impact, I mean it hasn’t affected someone getting their morning coffee, or stopped them from going out for a meal with friends.
Only recently are we seeing the real world implications of polluting our planet, and only recently are these things being communicated to the masses. A Forbes article titled ‘Climate Change adaptation is the greatest entrepreneurial challenge of all time’ explains the complex system that surrounds the global climate issue, which we need to get our collective heads around and explains why entrepreneurs and leaders of all types will be pivotal in solving this global problem.
Social entrepreneurs, investors, and other private actors—unlike most governments—have inherent flexibility. They can experiment, identify the best solutions, and share that knowledge with others. Given the scale and variety of climate adaptation challenges, this is crucial. Willy Foote
So what’s changed in the generations? Everyone is aware of the wealth that is held in the baby boomer generation, and a lot of that wealth is expected to passed down to the generations below, according to a report by the BBC, $4tn in-fact (that’s just the UK and North America alone…) but how about their attitudes? Many people speculate on why attitudes to climate are different in each generation, but no one can really state why this is, and I would encourage you to do you own research in this area – because it’s not just climate issues that generations have stark differences of opinion on, but one thing that is for sure, is it will be our problem to deal with.
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
However, in lots of areas where we have collective issues, we are now experiencing a real impact on everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are in a position to affect change or not, that’s why I feel it is our duty to start somewhere, anywhere to make the planet a better place. The UN have 17 Global Goal’s which they say will make for a better world by 2030;
In 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 goals for a better world by 2030. These goals have the power to end poverty, fight inequality and stop climate change. Guided by the goals, it is now up to all of us, governments, businesses, civil society and the general public to work together to build a better future for everyone. www.globalgoals.org
These 17 Global Goals are what I believe young entrepreneurs and leaders need to align themselves against when creating a business, investing in ideas, or running organisations – whether that be a company, government or educational institution.
What am I doing in relation to the UN Global Goals?
As a young entrepreneur and leader I am doing my bit in line with the UN Global Goals through business, investing and my personal life. These are:
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Through my blog, my podcasts and my speaking I want to inspire the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs to be the best they can so that they can go on to make real change in the world. I want to help in substantially increasing the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
I am passionate about clean energy and how this can be rolled out for everyone. Through my investing I look to support companies who are playing an active role in achieving sustainable, modern energy solutions for all. This includes promoting the access to clean energy research and technology research in these areas.
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation.
Through my businesses within the property industry I wish to create spaces and invest in developing infrastructure which is sustainable and where innovation can thrive. This then leads to more of the worlds issues being solved quicker and more affordably. Specifically I want to play a part in increasing the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services – as per the UN specific target within this goal.
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
This is what the majority of my business is centred around. Here I want to assist in enhancing inclusive and sustainable urbanisation and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries. There has been a huge shift in the way people work, live and play – therefore we need adapt to these changes to ensure meaningful interaction with people socially. We need to change the way we live and interact with people socially, this includes paying special attention to air quality and other waste management.
Why is having purpose so important?
Having purpose in anything you do is important, it will keep you going when you meet failures and it will always allow you to step back and look at the bigger picture. I believe that your purpose can be aligned to these UN Goals – hopefully you can see from my journey that there are many ways you can align your life to these greater worldwide goals.
There are many videos that inspired me to write this article, but one in particular has always inspired me to find and do what I love. No matter how many times I have watched it, I always take something new from it. So whether this is the first or fifteenth time you have watched this video from the late Steve Jobs, hopefully you will find some value from it;
For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror and have asked myself if today were the last day of my life would I do what I am about to do today. Steve Jobs
Lastly, as an added bonus, there is actually a test you can take to see which UN goal you are most aligned to, you can either do this because you are curious or because you want to know where to start. Take the test here.
Find your passion and don’t settle.
Thank you for reading and until next time, Be More Maverick.
Luca
July 6, 2019
June 7, 2019
June 21, 2019