Remember when you were younger and you thought that you could change the world. Everyone at some point imagined themselves winning some award to make them famous, maybe hitting a home run in the world series or countless other fantasies that we were the star of. In these fantasies and dreams, you were the star right? You went and changed the world, right? What happened since?
Very few of us get that chance to change the world in one swift action. At some point along the way, we realize it and those dreams fade. We get older, we get busy and things change in our minds. We get jaded. We get cynical and then the thought creeps in that “I can’t make a difference” so we stop trying.
I am here to remind you that you do change the world with everything that you do. There are many different ways that we, as human beings, affect others. Some of things that we do have a negative effect upon the world, but those of you that are reading this have the exact opposite effect on the rest of us. You are a positive force. You are light and you make the world a better place.
You raise money for charities. You do Rucksgiving. You run special events with people not as fortunate. You donate your time, clothes and money. You are kind to other people and animals. You are a good friend. You call a friend out of nowhere to say hello. You are a good mother or father. You help someone when they least expect it. You help people learn how to overcome obstacles. You pick up garbage on a course. You reach out with your hand and say “let me help you”. You encourage. You say thank you. You say you are welcome. You smile. You laugh and every step you take, you leave a path of goodness behind you.
See how simple it can be? That dream of a child is not gone. It is right here in all of us. We are not cynical and forgetting what we were thinking of. The thoughts may have changed and how we wanted to go about them may be different, but they are still there.
When I was younger, I thought I would change the world. That thought stopped young for a variety of reasons. I realized that I could make a small difference to certain people along the way. A smile changed people. A joke, a laugh and an encouraging word were all the difference to some people.
That is one of the reasons I started writing these postings. After one or two, people messaged me and commented that it meant something. Speaking from the heart to people and letting them know that their own concerns, neuroses, issues and problems were not unique to them. People think, at time, that they are alone in the world in dealing with anything. Just by writing a few hundred words every week, I have reminded anyone who reads these words that they are not alone, they have something in common with others and that there are always others that can help. So I add writing this weekly post to my list of how I am changing the world, one paragraph at a time.
Making the world a better place is easy and most of you do it already. This week, I want to challenge you all to find one small new way to make the world better. In the past, I have asked you to reach out to an old friend because old acquaintances should NOT be forgot. I have asked you to take down your “walls of problems” one brick at a time instead of running into it head on. Today, it is make the world a better place.
Call a friend. Make someone smile. Help someone across the street. Bring food to someone sick or who just gave birth. Check in on the elderly (especially during this upcoming “storm” in the northeast). Do a special walk, run, race, ruck for charity. Anything. Do something to make the world a better place and you will soon realize that by reaching out to help others, you are only improving your own self, soul and quality of life.
I will see you all soon. Keep reading. Keep being epic and keep playing in the mud. Lastly, thank you all for making me a better person and for helping make my world a better place.
