I believe that everyone, down deep if not overtly, desires to make a difference – and difference is spelled with a capital D. However, not everyone defines this in the same way, ergo – the problem.
In its simplest and perhaps most profound way, we make a difference every day in our daily activities and interactions, though these rarely are on the big playing field of life. Ergo, the problem – we don’t always see the difference we make. Or because it doesn’t appear ‘significant’ to us, we dismiss it.
What needs to happen is to rethink what ‘making a difference’ means, if only to you. Why do you need it to be spectacular and again – according to whose measurement? And that’s part of the dilemma – we really want to make a difference in some lives and are indifferent in other cases. So ‘difference’ is relative, but it is also uncontrollable. Who is affected by what you say and do is not something you control so there are unforeseen ‘consequences’.
Though we don’t always acknowledge this, making a difference can be negative as well as positive. It really depends on what we do, how we do it, with whom we do it, and to whom we do it. And just to add another conundrum – timing does make a difference, so this needs to be factored in as well.
I believe that you need to be aware of who you are, what you do, and that you are making a difference in someone’s life – even if that person isn’t the intended focus. Thus, being true to your standard and consistent with your behavior speaks volumes. It does make a difference. Perhaps even a hugely important difference.
