Visionaries are like ducks. Calm and collected on the surface, they are working furiously below the water. Pick your hero, they’re only making it look easy.
#ilooklikeasurgeon is a campaign breaking down stereotypes and showing that many different kinds of faces are behind the cutting hands that save lives.
I’ll admit to a brief “I could have done that!” moment when I first heard about this campaign.
Several months ago, the fantastic Dr. Sarah Boston and I discussed a somewhat similar idea for something called #womeninscrubs when we kept getting mistaken for human nurses. Don’t get me wrong, nurses are amazing, but we thought it was crazy that people would assume you were a specific profession based only on knowing what you were wearing and your gender.
We wanted #womeninscrubs to show all the diverse professions that wore that uniform. It never took off but I always thought it had been a good idea. The thought stuck with me, why didn’t it catch on?
I found my answer in Dr. Heather Logghe, heart of the #ilooklikeasurgeon movement and living lesson on how to change the world.
When I first “met” her via Twitter it was because she had shared one of my blog posts and then had encouraged me to submit a photo to the movement. 
She doesn’t wait for people to choose to join up. Day after day she reaches out to individual surgeons and encourages them to participate. Hour by hour she builds a diverse community of colleagues.
Until I saw all that Dr. Logghe was doing to make #ilooklikeasurgeon a spellbinding success, it hadn’t hit me just how much work it could be to start a viral movement. Getting the snowball going can take a lot of snow.
In changing the world hard work is what we in science call “necessary but not sufficient.” There are many who work hard but don’t make the difference they seek but we cannot make a difference without effort.
About two weeks ago I posted a campaign to raise money for the rescue that saved my dog Quinny in honor of National Pet Memorial Day. I got some amazing responses and photos, we even helped encourage Dr. Ryan Llera’s own campaign, but I feel like there’s even more to do.
This is a mission that needs that extra legwork. For the next couple weeks instead of our regular “How to Change the World” post I’ll be focused on this project and taking more concrete steps reaching out to collect more photos for Quinny.
At some point changing the world means putting boots to the ground and moving forward.
Is there a mission that you think could have used more work than you gave it? Any that didn’t succeed despite all the work you put into them? Thank you for any stories you share, they always inspire me.
