October 4, 2017
Do you wake up every morning and say “I’m going to change the world today”? Most of us would feel a bit grandiose saying that, yet many of us really DO want to change the world, and we DO want to make a difference. And we often feel discouraged and disheartened at our inability to do that.
But the truth is you DO make a difference. The question is “What kind of a difference do you make?”
Positive or Negative?
Every day you have many opportunities to make a difference.
When you’re driving down the freeway and someone pulls in front of you, do you yell and shake your fist? Or do you send them a kind thought?
When someone in your family interrupts your work, do you let them know that they’re bothering you? Or do you set aside what you’re doing and listen?
When you’ve waited in line a long time to order your morning latte, are you crabby when it’s finally your turn? Or do you say something empathetic to the barista?
How you choose to respond to and interact with others will determine whether the difference you are making is positive or negative—but you are making a difference!
Other people are affected by your thoughts, words, and actions. Your smile, kind word, or warm gesture could make all the difference to your family, friends, coworkers, or even to a stranger.
You may be thinking that it’s no big deal; smiling at someone or saying something nice doesn’t make much of a difference. However, as Mother Teresa said, “It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.” We never know what the magnitude of our impact on someone will be or how it might ripple out into the world.