Day 8 – Make a difference – YOU!
I was inspired to post pictures or links to people ‘Making a difference’ on my FB page after watching ‘Chasing Coral’ a film about climate change killing our coral.
In the last 7 days I have posted:
1 photographer who inspired 2 others and in turn thousands of others to make ‘Chasing Coral’.
1 lady from FB who wrote a profound letter about life just before she died.
1 local yoga and organic fruit and veggie shop owner.
1 world renowned research professor of philosophy and social work who has faced her own fear to inspire millions.
1 anonymous person who beautified road signs with flowers.
1 scientist who inspired thousands of people to work together to find the ‘Higgs Boson’ particle.
1 check out person from a supermarket who smiles and connects with her customers.
And Day 8 is YOU because you make a difference every day!
Making a difference is making a difference – no matter the size! (Size does not matter!)
You are here on the planet to make a loving difference that no one else can make in the exact same way that you can.
You can choose to make a difference (or not) every single day of your life by doing the ‘little’ things.
You can also choose to follow your passion, go after your dreams and make your difference by fulfilling your unique life purpose which may or may not turn into a ‘big’ thing.
In other words – you can make a difference whether you are following your dream or not.
This is incredibly important for kids because they need to know they matter NOW!
‘Sparky and Shady for Kids’ says…
“Some things you do that make a difference everyday, include:
• Being yourself because no one else in the whole wide world can be you!
• Having fun by playing, laughing and enjoying yourself.
• Sharing your love by smiling, hugging, and being kind and helpful.
• Sharing your gifts by doing the things you enjoy and are good at (or getting good at) like drawing, swimming, painting, singing, dancing, cooking, gardening and more!
When you are being yourself and sharing what you love to do, you make a BIG difference.”
This goes for adults too because little things turn into ‘big’ things!
Jeremy and I are watching ‘Touch’ (a show on Netflix) at the moment (we set up the iPad in the kitchen while we cook and clean up), anyway the main character in the series is an eleven-year-old boy, Jake. Jake is autistic and he does not speak. He does however, communicate through numbers with his father who then follows up and makes a difference in the world. Here is what Jake says (in a voice over) about making a difference in the beginning of episode 13, series 1.
“We can’t help but wonder how much difference one person makes in the world. We look inside ourselves questioning if we have the capacity for heroism and greatness. But the truth is every time we take an action, we make an impact. Every single thing we do has an effect on the people around us. Every choice we make sends ripples out into the world. Our smallest acts of kindness can send a chain reaction out to the world of unforeseen benefits for people we have never met. We might not witness those results but they happen all the same.”
The world works in mysterious ways. I agree with Jake. Every single time you do something loving you send ripples of love out into the world. You do not need to be a hero, a famous person or have fulfilled your unique life purpose to make a difference that only you can make. You need only be you and choose to do loving things for yourself, others and the earth.
What would the world look like if everyone chose to do the little things?
Okay let’s look at the ‘big’ things (remembering that size does not matter) …
I have a friend who has written a book for kids (and adults) which is about ‘Being enough’.
The point of the book is that you do not have anything to prove to yourself or to anyone else on this planet. It is okay to be you. You do not have to strive to prove your worth, importance or significance. You need only be yourself.
I absolutely agree!
None of us have anything to prove!
I do believe however, that each of us has something to FULFIL!
Being on the road to fulfilling our unique life purpose makes a big difference to our own happiness, peace and contentment.
In other words, going after our dreams – the ones that are good for us, other people and the planet (or not bad for any of these) makes a massive difference to us!
‘Sparky and Shady for Big Kids’ says:
“It’s like you are driving your car on your journey through life with lots of possible roads to choose from. The best road to take is the one that leads to your dreams. Your dream road will eventually lead you to your unique life purpose. That’s the job, role or thing you are here to do that only you can do.
Sparky knows your dreams, the best road to take and your unique life purpose too.”
Fulfilling your unique life purpose does not necessarily send a bigger ripple of love into the world then a small act of kindness (however, it might), but it definitely makes a difference to your happiness, peace and contentment!
Alrighty then…
Since it all makes a difference – do the small things to make a big difference to others and do the big thing (follow your dreams) to make a massive difference to you! (And potentially others too!)
Nothing to prove. Just a difference to make! Whatever the size!
Love Kathy
PS Here is a link to a blog post on ‘How to find your thing’ which talks about finding your unique life purpose. http://sparkyandshady.com/how-to-find-your-thing/
And here is another article on making a difference (obviously I’m passionate about this topic) http://sparkyandshady.com/how-to-make-a-difference/