Do you know that you are so full of amazing power? I have a speech titled” It make take a village, but someone has to drive the first nail” One of the things that weighs us down as parents is the burden we place on our shoulders in terms of both teaching our children and taking care of them. In traditional societies, adults often do not seek to teach anything to their children, but instead let children approach them to learn, when they are curious or ready.
Do you know the same
sets true with adults as well? So many of us wait to be told what to do,
instead of taking the initiative to step on a limb and set a standard of leadership to
better our communities. I believe that we make things difficult for
ourselves when we expect others to always show us the way, instead of trusting
in our own beliefs and standards and making our own way. I personally believe that
the number one reason that people chose to stand on the side lines instead of
getting out in front and leading is a result of a few different reason.
- They lack confidence
- They are afraid of failure
- They are afraid that they may lose their
status in their community
Trust me I get it,
nobody wants to be the goat. However, if we don’t try then how will we ever
know the outcome? I love the example that President Ronald Reagan used many
times when he would make a speech. President Reagan, who in my eyes is with out
a doubt the greatest President to ever take the Oval Office, would share the story
of Telemachus. Who would've thought that an ascetic hermit from the East could
be the catalyst for a complete reversal of history? Telemachus was that man
even though he was completely unknown, probably as he liked it, until his final
act right before his death. Here is a short history of this world changer.
Telemachus made a journey to
The crowds were ecstatic and thirsty for blood the day that Telemachus made his very last journey. They were crying out "habet, hoc habet" or "He has had it!" every time a poor fighter had been mortally wounded. After a day of the games the crowds were in a frenzy. It was in this atmosphere that Telemachus jumped down from the stands and entered the fighting grounds of the Coliseum. He went from a lowly spectator to a man of change, a preacher, and a peacemaker.
He yells, "Do not requite God's mercy in turning away the swards of your enemies by murdering each other!" The gladiators continued to fight probably because they could not hear him but the crowds probably heard his words and did nothing. Telemachus ran to the gladiators and tried to stop them. The crowds, becoming angry, yelled that Telemachus was committing sedition by trying to undo the Roman customs and for preaching in place not ready for that. They urged the gladiators to continue with their blood work. This did not stop Telemachus. He continued to try to stop the carnage and stopped a pair of gladiators in the middle of their fight. Someone became quite angry and thrust a sword into Telemachus. The crowds joined in trying to rid the Coliseum of this annoyance by casting stones at him. Telemachus died trying to end the gladiatorial games, the games that caused way too much death.
Word spread throughout
Amazing, one man; a beggar or a hermit from the east, could be the catalyst that benchmarked a change in Greek and World History forever. Telemachus may not have had any money, however he did have courage. We hear and witness acts of courage every day; however we just do not realize what we are witnessing because in many cases it just seems to be natural.
How have you made a difference in the world? Whether it's a national disaster or something troubling in your community, life often presents opportunities to effect change. Bad things happen in the world every day. But good can result and you can impact your world by simply making a choice to put your self out there. We have seen a great example of a positive difference maker in Mr. Dan Cathy, the President and CEO of Chick-fil-A. He made a difference in not only his community, but in the entire Nation by taking a stand for God.
Now here is the key, Mr. Cathy simply made a statement to a Christian
Publication over his personal views of “Same Sex Marriage” and he came under
attack by the Liberals and the Queers. However, Mr. Cathy, never waivered and
He stood tall with God, and other Fast Food Company’s jumped on board with him,
McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell have all shown there support
for the Cathy’s and Chick-fil-A.
It is during adversity when one can really make a big difference. But making a difference is not always about being a big hero. Sometimes it is simply about leaving the bathroom a little cleaner going out, than when you came in. In my second book; “Just do the Little things” I explain that it’s the little things in life that mean so much, if we can not be trusted with the little things such as cleaning the bathroom, doing the dishes, and making the bed, then how can we be trusted with the big things in life? Meaning making a difference starts small, and gets bigger.
Making a difference all starts with a good positive character trait that you hold down deep in your soul, and drives you to just do the right thing, and not lie, cheat and steal. Many people believe that they don’t have what it takes to make a difference to the world. They believe only people like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and the likes, are capable of making a difference. The truth is, every one of us is put in this world to contribute and make a difference to the world in our own unique way. It doesn’t need to be anything out of the world. It just needs to be something you do with the intention of ‘doing good’.
You Can Make a Difference;
1. It don’t have to be an Enormous Task
If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed
just one; You already have
what it takes to make the world a better place. Making a difference to the
world may seem like an enormous task, but it is in fact the collective effort
of everyone to make small contributions with a lot of heart. The size of
the contribution is not what matters most. The key here is to have the heart to
do it.
2. You
can start now
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a
single moment before starting to improve the world; There is no one best time to start to make a
difference to the world. You don’t need to wait till you have the time to share
some love; you don’t have to wait till you make more money to share a slice of
bread. Little efforts count, and you can start making small contributions
today.
3. Your Contribution is never too small
Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do
something; If you think that
everything has been taken care of by somebody and your contribution is not
going to make much of a difference, then you’re wrong. Can you imagine if
everyone else starts to think the same way? In fact, it is our
responsibility to seek ways to contribute, large and small. You don’t have to
be concerned you’re only capable of making small contributions. What counts is
the effort.
4. The Greatest Gifts of All come from
with-in
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a
single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness
never decreases by being shared; Happiness
and love are the two greatest gifts you can give to the world. Too often, we’re
too indulged in our own gratifications that we forget there are people in this
world that we can make a little happier and feel more loved. As the
saying goes, “To receive, you must first give.” The more you give, the more
you’ll receive. Let us remind ourselves that in order to receive more happiness
and love, let’s spread more of them first.5. You have the ability to empower Other People
Abilities wither under criticism; they blossom under encouragement; You can change the world by helping one person at a time. One of the ways to help someone is to empower the person. But how do you empower a person? Well, one of the ways is to be generous in giving praise and encouragement instead of criticism. By praising and encouraging the person, you’d have helped him/her to accomplish what he/she is meant to be, and that would lead to more value being added to the world.
6. Always Seek to Make a Long-Lasting Effect
The greatest good you can do for another is
not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own; This is a version of ‘give a man a fish; you
feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish; you feed him for a lifetime. The
good that we seek to do will make more of a difference when there’s a
long-lasting effect rather than a temporary effect. For example, if we make
contributions to build a school, it will benefit many people for years to come.
And when more people receive education, they will in turn provide more
value to the world.
7. You have Stop whining and Do Something
If you have time to whine and complain about
something then you have the time to do something about it; All the whining and complaining in the world
is not going to make a difference to the world. It will only drain you of your
precious energy from doing things that do make a difference. Instead of
whining and complaining, seek to use the time more productively by engaging in
activities that matter. When it comes to making a difference, nothing matters
more than taking actions.
8. Stand up, get out in front and Lead the
Way
A good example has twice the value of good
advice; Other than doing
things to make a difference, we should also seek to influence others to start
doing things that make a difference. And the best way to convince other people
is to lead by example. Start doing whatever is within your ability
today. Start showing more concern and love to the people around you. Start to
make monthly donations to your favorite charity. Start putting more effort in
your work to increase the value output.
Every effort counts,
no matter how small and insignificant it may seem.
Just do something,and do
something good, and you too will be making a difference ~ Donnie Bolena
