The power to influence is stronger than the power of a dollar.

In a capitalist economy, every human being is for his or herself as they try to make money to better their lives. But also as human beings our first priority should be to make meaning and try to better human society. As a tip to all startup companies, Guy Kawasaki says:

“If you make meaning, you’ll probably make money. But if you set out to make money, you will probably not make meaning, and you won’t make money.”

The sad thing is that most people are driven by greed and it is rare to find someone who does things simply to help others. Even if people say things and do things, they probably still have some secret motive in the back of their minds. That is the cruel rule in the business world and no one wants to be used. My mom keeps telling me that the friends I make now in high school and maybe in college are my only true friends. She says when I grow up and become rich or famous out there in the real world, people will only be my friend if they want something from me.

I hope that is not the case but sometimes it is. That is why I created this blog because the world needs more people who want to make meaning. I want my meaning to get out to everyone in the whole world and it will be a meaning to help improve the lives of everyone or simply just bring out a smile. The meaning of every human being and the potential each one has to impact the world is strong. Money can really only help yourself but meaning can help the world. There was significant meaning to Blog Action Day and although it encompassed over 20,000 blogs, each blogger had meaning in their own way that was a part of this huge movement. Even CanTheWorldHearMe got noticed in a nice quote that deserves special mention.

Now go out there and make your own meaning. All of you mean a lot to your family, to your friends, and even to me for reading this blog. Without meaning and without people, this world is a pretty dull place.

~Kevin X

I hope not. There are some people in this world that think our goals are crazy and that all the risks we take will be for naught. While there are others in the world who think we are the keys for inspiration and for change. My mind was perplexed and in an internal struggle… until I saw this quote:

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them…about the only thing you can’t do is ignore them, because they change things, they push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.

That quote was said by none other than Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple. Then I thought, if 50 years ago someone mentioned making computers or the internet, we would call them psycho and probably send them for psychiatric help. 600 years ago if someone mentioned that the Earth was round, they would be laughed at and deemed cursed by the Devil. But the people that did think this, that did think outside of the box and that did come up with new solutions are the ones that left their mark on history. They singlehandedly pushed the human race forward and are noted for their accomplishments.

So is CanTheWorldHearMe too crazy to work? Some argue that people like Christopher Columbus or Bill Gates are one in a million or were just in the right place at the right time thinking the right idea. But still they were the crazy ones until what they did made them famous. It is a weird flaw in society where we shun these people where we should be praising for more of these people because they push the human race forward. I find myself odd because I’m thinking such crazy thoughts and seeking such a wild dream at such a young age. Maybe I am crazy and the world won’t hear me. But maybe the world will need a kid with a dream one day.

Below is a video of the aforementioned quote in its emotional entirety.

~Kevin X

Did you know that everyone has a story? Everyone has their dreams, their strengths, their weaknesses, their fears, and their history? Every person that you meet, whether they are in car, work as your waitress, or the person behind the counter, there is a reason that they are there. The people that you interact with, do you know what they are doing when they go home? Or do you realize how many people’s stories have been altered because of something you have done? There are more than 6 billion different stories out there and no human mind can comprehend that.

One can say that this is because of the monkeysphere, a limitation on the human brain that will only let us comprehend up to 150 of these stories. No matter how hard you try, you will only be able to truly care about 150 people including your family, closest friends, neighbors, and yourself. The garbage man will only be in your mind as the ‘garbage man’ and it will be impossible to understand that he probably has a loving family, his own hobbies, and a reason why he needs his job. All the garbage men in the world could have died and you wouldn’t really care but if your best fried died you would cry but aren’t they both human? So why the limitation?

I really want to try to understand more people’s stories. On one of my travels, I saw a malnourished 10 year old girl working in a pawn shop. I kept wondering to myself, “Why is she there? Is she treated alright? What does she do for fun?” And during that same week I met with a major financial tycoon and his son. The same questions were running through my head. This world is so diverse and I wish I can learn about more people’s stories. Web 2.0 and blogs only give you the very tip of someone’s whole stories. I am writing my dream and my story on this blog so right now it’s Can The World Hear Me… but it should also be Can I Hear The World?

~Kevin X

Seriously, try it, it’s all about pleasing the people.

I am the president of two clubs this year, running to become district vice president for another one, and organizing and planning out a brand new club for Zinch. It is a lot of preparation but even more about pleasing the people. You need to be charismatic so that people will listen to you but you also need the support from the people in order to get anything done. But is it ok to compromise what you want to do to please others? When I grow up I don’t want to work for someone else higher-up, I want to be my own boss and have things run my way. But right now I’m getting a lot of opposition…

Living in a world and time when people are so diverse, opinions are flying around everywhere. I have people that support my ideas and people that don’t. I respect what everyone believes in and I really like to understand the other person’s viewpoint as well but people should at least give my idea a chance. There are some people that won’t even take me seriously and straight-out oppose my ideas right away. I have support from many of my friends and teachers in school but I am getting opposition from many of the senior higher-ups that probably have some hidden motive to not take me seriously. I am a dreamer but in order to make anything of those dreams I need to take action and I am being prevented of this. My creativity and my leadership need a spark.

I guess I just have to create a wider influence until they understand what I’m all about. I’m not the kind of guy that gives up so easily and I will get them to take me seriously. Being in high school, adults might just think we’re all just ‘teens’. But in the business world, I hope to be taken seriously because I’m just a ‘teen’.

~Kevin X

I want to dedicate this post to my former math teacher. She is the absolute true definition of influential for she has affected me in a way no one ever had. She was able to comment on my dream directly and was able to clear my mind to the true intention of my dream.

I dedicate this post to her for just being a caring, understanding, and lovable teacher. Because of that, there is not one student that I know that does not love her and wish they could have her year after year. Every year she is able to not only teach students math, but to be a part of their lives and have an impact on generations of kids every day. Sadly she might retire at the end of this year but I hope for the best for her future endeavors.

You might be thinking that any teacher could do that and you might be true. She wasn’t famous or anything but definitely an important factor in my life. I recently met with her after a year apart and she was still able to teach me a rather important lesson. In continuation of my last post, she taught me that despite wherever I end up in life, I was still able to leave my mark on many. I play a strong important role in my family and have affected so many others including her. I always sought after the biggest of dreams such as getting in Time magazine that I was almost forgetting about the little things. I realize that I would be comfortably happy with influencing just the people around me as well. We all play an intricate role in each other’s lives and if people are able to take a little something from reading this blog, then I feel complete. I’ll still strive for my big goal but to appreciate all that I have done so far and the amount of people I have influenced is a major realization. Because of that realization, she was able to have an influence on my dream that no one ever has. Because of that, she will have a special place in my heart forever.

~Kevin X.

My dream has changed form a lot in the past few years. I remember thinking of what my dream in life was two years ago and it happened to be “do good in high school, go to good college, get a good job, and have a good family”. It was just too average joe.

I like the dreams I always see in movies. “I must destroy the evil monster”, “I must marry the princess”, “I must avenge my father’s death”, “I must save the world”. I wish I could have these kind of dreams but alas this is the real world. I wanted to be unique thus I thought of having the world know my name and leaving my mark on history. Then I realized I was one kid out of 6 billion people. But that didn’t stop me but rather motivated me. If I could stand out out of 6 billion people, my life would be complete.

So one day I decided to turn this dream into an actual tangible goal. I wanted my name ‘googleable’ so that people can search my name and actually find me for something significant I did. I wanted my high school friends in the future to google my name and see that I actually made something of my life. Then I realized I could easily just create a webpage and upload it to Google right now but that’s the easy and shameful way. I wanted to deserve getting my name on Google.

Then I found the amazing world of startup companies and how even a 17-year old can be a successful entrepreneur. This inspired me to take my goals further and develop some company that would leave a lasting impact onto this world. I started this blog and coined the three I’s for success. My new tangible goal was to be in Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of the World”. This really clearly explains what I want from life and how I want to leave my mark on the world. To be in the top 100 people in the world that had a powerful impact on it doing whatever they do best. But is getting my name on this magazine really all that my life would be about? (Continued in next post)

~Kevin X

RAoK or Random Act of Kindness is the single most remarkable thing that touches the heart of every human being. According to wiki it is a “purportedly selfless act performed by a person or persons wishing to either assist or cheer up a stranger.” And it is simply that, a random act of kindness.

Biggest RAoK right here!

A complete stranger gives a man in a Master Chief costume a brand new Xbox 360. It is that type of thing that brings me back hope for humanity. With all the violence during the PS3 craze and drinking for a Wii, you would think all people that want a gaming system were selfish. But not this man. This man took it upon himself to unselfishly reward a complete stranger with a Xbox 360. That comes straight from the heart.

Kindness is still something a lot of humans haven’t discovered. The kindness from a random stranger for the pure sake of being kind. Most people do things with an ulterior motive or expect something back. But a RAoK is a remarkable discovery by humanity. Free Hugs so far is the #1 example of this and Join Me is another. The only RAoK I can remember doing was giving a friend a gift on Christmas that I received earlier that day. It wasn’t a big present nor was she one of my best friends but I gave it to her simply to see a smile on her face. A RAoK can really brighten up anyone’s day.

Courtesy of majorknitter

Maybe that will be another one of my goals. Commit a RAoK at least once every week. I thrive to see a smile on everyone’s face one day. I like to inspire people and influence for a better good. Maybe I’ll push this blog in the direction of an amazing startup idea around RAoK. Free virtual hugs anyone?

~Kevin X

I’ve been asked many times why I want to go into computer science as my college major, and each time I’ve said the same thing: programming and working with computers are my favorite things in the world, right above living and breathing…well maybe not above that. But still, they’re pretty high up there on my favorites list. Now, however, my view on computer science is shifting. As I’m being more and more introduced into the business world, I’m gaining a broader insight into computer science and its ties to the business world.

Right now we are right smack dab in the middle of the information age. The internet is growing every day. An increasing amount of businesses are now taking their ideas to the web: popular sites such as youtube and digg are popping up all over the place. In order to make popular websites like these, someone needs two major things. First, they need an idea. But second, they need to know how to code the site and/or have someone else code it for them!

As I see it, as the web continues to grow and more people realize the potential of online businesses there will be an increasing demand for programmers. I now feel that the computer science major is a great choice not only because I enjoy computers so much, but also because it puts me into a position of great potential.

I have many other thoughts regarding this subject, but I guess this is enough for one post =).

~Josh B.

Two teens set out to impact the world. Sounds crazy doesn’t it?

Well that’s what we’re going to do. Kevin X and Josh B here. All you blog viewers out there and potential blog viewers remember those two names. We want the world to know who we are. That’s our dream.

We are not going to be like all those other bloggers. We have a dream and we’re going to make it reality. Dreams can only go so far and we are tired of it so we are taking action. Even while we are in high school we will stop at nothing to follow our dreams and make it out there in the real world.

Writing on this blog we hope to develop an innovative startup idea and turn that into reality. We heard the ‘90% of all business fail in the first 5 years’ so why not start now? We are going to try to get noticed in the blogging world and develop an idea that will impact the world.

So with that launches CanTheWorldHearMe. Well, can you?