“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men and women to do nothing.”
Edmund Burke (1729-1797); Statesman, Author, Philosopher
Sometimes it’s hard to even to care about ways to make a difference.
I’ll speak for myself. Once I’m done working, caring for family needs, and taking care of daily activities, I’m wiped out!
Perceived lack of time, fatigue, emotional burnout all conspire to hold me back from getting beyond myself.
I thank those around me who touch my life and inspire me to be a fool who believes he can change the world.
1. Take Care of Yourself
It may seem selfish, but taking care of yourself is the best place to start.
Slow down. Exercise. Eat right. Get personal counseling for emotional roadblocks that drain your energy. Connect with God. Go on a vacation.
2. Make Caring A Priority
It’s hard to make a difference if you don’t believe you can. Or if you don’t think it’s worth it.
Examine your values. Do you value some sort of contribution to others? If not, consider adding Contribution to your list of values.
3. Listen
We value another person when we listen to them. It makes a world of difference when we feel someone truly cares enough about us to hear what we have to say.
Here are some tips from MindTools to help you improve your listening skills. (no affiliate stuff here 🙂
4. Smile
When you smile at someone, you send the message that they count. And that can mean a lot when that person feels worthless.
5. Have Someone Over
I live near Chicago, Illinois. Maybe it’s just me, but life with my wife and two kids is busy.
Taking time out of busyness sends the message to others that we care. And that can make a big difference.
Consider not only having friends over. But what about a person who doesn’t get out much? Who may be lonely?
6. Pray
As a Christian, I believe prayer makes a huge difference. You can use the ACTS acrostic to help you pray: Adore your Creator; Confess your shortcomings; Thank Him for His blessings; and engage in Supplication (Asking) for Him to give hope, help, and healing to people in your life and around the world.
7. Spend Time With Your Loved Ones
When we spend quality time with others, we communicate our love to them. Steal time from your schedule by blocking out “appointments” with the loved ones in your life. Make those appointments first, and let the rest of life fall around those appointments.
8. Give
Give money to a worthy cause. Make sure that the organization you’re giving to is accountable to its donors. Here’s a list of Better Business Bureau charities in the United States you can give to. When I give to Christian organizations, I make sure that they’re listed under the Evangelical Center for Financial Accountability, an independent organization that ensures ethical and transparent financial reporting.
9. Love
Practice love.
I Corinthians 13 teaches us what love looks like:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Keep this Scripture written out in front of you every day so that you can check and apply it with everyone you come across.
10. Family
Reach out to family members. Take care of your in-laws. Call your parents. Or call your children. How can you serve them? How can you communicate love to them?
11. Mentor
Who, in your online or offline world, can you help along? Maybe it’s teaching them a little of what you’ve learned in your business journey, expecting nothing in return.
Kimberly Castleberry, from Just Ask Kim, serves the online Biz Blogging Buzz community in countless selfless ways. She’s a technical and tribal building guru, yet she takes time to help many, many people while asking nothing in return.
I know of another couple who both have high responsibility jobs. They head up a kids’ program at church, lead a separate kids’ program in the community, and mentor a group of people from their church! On top of all this, they give generously to others financially, expecting nothing in return.
They are making a difference!
12. Pick One Cause
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Just pick one of the ways to make a difference above. Practice those things.
After some time, you’ll want to check out another cause you resonate with. Causes.com is a good place to explore a variety of topics. And Time has shown us new ways we can make a difference with very little effort.
13. Think Bigger
Once you start helping people, you may want to think about more systemic solutions to poverty, hunger, and disease. Some say social entrepreneurs need to stop throwing starfish into the ocean. They’re right, in a sense.
14. Become Your Best Self
It all circles back to you and me. Have you discovered your life vision, mission, values, and goals? Are you working toward excellence and personal growth daily?
Your world needs what only you can offer. You were created to do great things in the service of others.
For example, here’s an engineer who’s making a car for blind drivers!
Every one of us can make a difference. Don’t believe the lie that you are too small or insignificant. Bloom where you’re planted, develop your abilities and opportunities, and become a blessing to others. How do you choose to make a difference this week? photo credit: Create Change Now
Stephen, this is all about foundation building. Everything in life must have a foundation to be on solid ground per say including family.
I can not say much on value based on each to their own and that is still in part not judging others. I too am a living Christian. Means, I live my life in example of my faith. I do not preach words of God, yet live each word as what it is, flawless.
Now, for the benefit of time and knowing that leverage is priceless. Yet, when I created my business over 30 years ago offline and then made it global both online and off. It was the best thing as for creating a foundation first then procedures that had to be Universal.
That with unlimited thinking and creating each day full of adventure with everyone I love involved with some degree. My lifestyle is blessed and one of the few to allow me to only spend 12 minutes five days total within six. That is just 1 hour per week. It is down to a science and everything else is pure supportive and choice like my operation of my business.
When you have chosen a business and life in harmony with service. That is why we are here to provide service to everyone else without expecting anything in return. Then your days are filled with adventure and joy. Your thinking is focused and has no limitation. Knowing you will leave a legacy of service is the best feeling anyone can pray for.
Stephen, your a great coach and visionary in our global industry. I have returned from a short time off and love getting to this site. You keep my wheels turning in the right direction and I do appreciate you being on of the last real people I know. Thank you.
William Amis recently posted…Facing Life without Fear
William, thanks for sharing your life and business stories with us. I love your enthusiasm and passion for life.
Stephen,
tahnks so much for taking time to list thse 14 ways to make a difference… yes, we can think of lots more and probably many people can do teh same and or better BUT, having them written down in such a simple way to follow them… it is very helpful.
They are helpful because we can read them and reflect if we already done them or what else we can do to enhanche or make better or more meaningful..
I truly thank you for list them as you did. I made a copy and saved it in one of my daily “to do” list folder.
Thanks again Stephen… nickc
Nick Catricala recently posted…The KISS Principle
Great article Steve and you know this is one of my very favorite subjects! There are SO many ways to make a difference in the world! Recycling cell phones to organizations that refurbish them and give them to seniors or victims of domestic abuse; recycling eyeglasses; donating unwanted clothing to organizations like Big Brothers/Big Sisters and of course volunteering as a family. One thing in particular many people don’t think of is whether their employer either would support volunteering on company time or would consider it. Every employer I’ve ever worked for had such a program and a few months ago I read a fascinating article about a major corporation that has an awesome community outreach program but ended up having to hire staff to promote it to their employees! There are always ways for those who want to make it happen … and just a reminder that October is a BIG month for Breast Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence Awareness! Thanks for the reminder!
marquita herald recently posted…Are You UP For This Challenge?
Reading this reminds me that there are so many ways that you to help somebody or make a difference!
I think that people often forget that there are more ways than giving money or possessions to people, even just inviting somebody over who is lonely or giving them a phone call your making a difference in that person’s life and you never know how bigger deal that could be for that one person.
Thank you,
Regards, Jessica.
Jessica vanZyl recently posted…Are You Using Your Company Branded Website At The Right Time?
This is an awesome list Steve! Each of these has such a huge potential for making a lasting impact.
Making a difference helps others, but the thing we don’t consider is that it helps us (the benefactor) most of all. It gives us confidence in ourselves. It gives our lives worth and makes us happy knowing that we’re giving love and happiness to others.
You’ve highlighted some fantastic ways to make a difference. I’m sure there are several ways which can work or suit each person reading this.
Prayer is a big deal in my life, and I always have to remember to include all the beautiful elements God has given us in prayer. It can be tempting to merely ask all the time, but this would be wrong.
Drop by some time when you have a minute.
Stephen,
When I assisted at Landmark Education (a transformational development organization) we often had the discussion about making a difference in anothers life. We determined that it was not for us to know “when” that occurred but to be assured that it did. We never knew when a certain word or a soft touch or a warm smile would make the difference so we always assumed that it was in that moment that it would occur. It drove our behavior to selfless in our assisting, to be of service.
I’ve always kept that lesson in my heart and it has served me well.
Thanks for the reminder,
RICK
Thank you for writing this post and sharing it with us, Stephen, your list of thing you can do to make a difference has something on it for everyone.
I spent a number of years working as a school counselor, and that meant not only talking with the kids at the school, but also with the parents and the teachers. There were quite a few times when the days and nights were completely consuming and overwhelming. There always need to be filled.
it wasn’t until I understood and practiced the first way to make a difference on your list that my life got back on track. Taking care of myself, far from being a selfish act, turned out to be a very healthy and invigorating thing to do. And very important, so I am really glad you have it as number one on your list. 🙂
Stephen,
Thank you for this list. It is amazing how simple things can make a huge impact in the life of one self and others and you laid it all out for anyone to be able to follow.
Steve,
My favorite of all your statements of what we can do to make a difference is to become your best self. When we are being and feeling our best, we become an example for others to follow. We cannot help but offering what we have to give – love, contact, smiles, hugs, sensitivity, food, shelter. When we become our best self, anything and everything is possible.
Thanks for a great post.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Dr. Erica Goodstone recently posted…In the Eye of the Storm
Dr. Erica, thanks for the encouragement. Isn’t it exciting that all we have to do is develop ourselves to our greatest potential, versus trying to become someone we’re not?
Hi Stephen,
great suggestions!
Not sure if you did this on purpose, but I like the way you put “take care of yourself” as number one, well you probably did by saying it is the best place to start.
The social conditioning we have received around what is selfish needs to be review. Sometimes an so called unselfish act can have an underlying subconscious selfish/self serving motive, i. e. being liked.
All your suggestions are awesome.
Thank you so much for sharing this.
Love and Light
Yorinda
Yorinda recently posted…The Importance of Bees