The Power to Make a Difference

Have you ever wondered how you can make the most difference in the world today? How can you and I as one person personally impact the world in a positive way? I can think of a lot of different things we can become involved in to make a difference in the world but is it sufficient or enough? Though not grand, I think I’ve found the secret to how each of us can make the biggest difference in our world.

Stephen R. Covey in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People said, “People are very tender, very sensitive inside. I don’t believe age or experience makes much difference. Inside, even with the most toughened and callous exteriors, are the tender feelings and emotions of the heart. That’s why in relationships, the little things are the big things.”

Though it may seem obvious or even insignificant, making a real difference in the world comes down to the moment-to-moment decisions we make in our lives. Our daily interactions with our family members, with our co-workers, with our neighbors and friends, and with all others we come in contact with has a greater impact on the world than perhaps building schools in third world countries or donating every lunch break to feeding the hungry at the local homeless shelter. Certainly these more obvious and more noticeable “heroic” activities are great and have a big impact in helping a lot of people but if our relationships and our daily interactions with others are consistently sour, than our positive effect on others will be minimal regardless of what we do.

The power of one individual to impact the lives of others through love, understanding, time, and kindness is great. Indeed, our behavior towards others and the example we portray on a daily basis affects everyone around us. So, our relationships in life really are the big things—the things that matter most. We must strive to show personal and sincere interest and concern for the well-being of each person we interact with—not an easy task! Doing so will touch the lives of others and will profoundly affect the world. Think about it, how do you feel when someone takes a sincere interest in you? Imagine if we could produce those same feelings in everyone we interact with! What a powerful impact we will have on the world when we learn we can change it for good by minding the little things.

So how is our commitment level? Can we be careful with the little things? We prove our desire to help others and make a difference in the world not only through our grand heroic acts but perhaps more importantly through our daily one-on-one interactions with others. Therefore, our power to make a real difference in the world tends to happen one person, one moment, and one conversation at a time. Indeed, we show our contribution to the world through our daily seemingly insignificant actions. The little things make all the difference!