Who’s changed your world for the better since 2010?

During this momentous week that will wrap down 2019 and usher in a new decade, I want to do something a little different with the Daily Boost: zoom out and reflect on what’s past and what’s ahead. (In Friday’s Post, I hope to feature some of your responses!)

In that spirit, since Monday is the day I try to highlight people who make the world a better place, I want to ask: who’s changed your world the most in the past 10 years? Who are you watching for action and inspiration as a new calendar opens up before us?

I’ve been inspired by so many, in so many places. In a quiet valley teeming with life, all thanks to the efforts of a hard-working family. At an oasis of calm and learning at Parque Viva in Desamparados. At a tranquil university campus in Ciudad Colon. At a stadium where a woman blazed her way into the history books and inspired a whole nation of girls. On an Instagram account where a woman opened up space for searing personal stories, brushing away shame and stigma one post at a time.

And there was so much inspiration from outside Costa Rica. Barack. Michelle. Greta. Chanel. The women of #metoo all over the world. My God: in 2010, there was no “Hamilton” or Beychella. How lucky we are to be alive right now.

As I head into 2020, I’m convinced that leadership does, can, and must now come from everywhere, especially when it no longer comes from the places we used to seek it. It feels like, amid all the destruction, the world is growing up. This is scary and exciting. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter).