“One person can make a difference. In fact, it is not only possible for one person to make a difference, it is essential that one person makes a difference.”
Bob Riley
Are there things you are concerned about? Situations that seem too big and heavy to be able to do anything about?
It seems so much easier to complain about problems than to do what we can to improve or even erase them. However, it feels so much better to do even one little thing. Situations usually turn around one degree at a time, not 180 degrees all at once.
When we just sigh resignedly after a rant or a complaint, we only make ourselves and those around us feel even more hopeless and powerless. Obviously, being negative can’t bring about any positive changes.
Lately, I’ve been inspired by stories of just one individual being able to bring about a change for the better, even in widespread, longstanding situations.
Norman Vincent Peale stated, “One person can make a difference. You don’t have to be a big shot…. You just have to have faith in your power to change things.”
If we are what we consider to be “just a normal person,” we probably think this means that we wouldn’t be able to make much of a difference. However, if we look at the lives of many of the people who have brought about very powerful change, we might notice that they were ordinary, often oppressed, people who were not in what might be considered a “position of power.”
Individuals who have sparked positive changes have often had to overcome their own poverty, prejudice, opposition or illness. They had to take risks. They had to step out of their own comfort zones. They had to push their way out of the confining roles others had put them in. They had to learn how to stand up for others and themselves.
An example would be Rosa Parks, who made history on Dec. 1, 1955, by her courageous yet simple act of refusing to give up her seat on the bus instead of moving so a white man could have her seat.
Next month’s column will tell more of Rosa Parks’ story.
For now, let’s take some time to think about how we can make a difference in any way, shape or form. We don’t need to get ourselves into history books to be able to help someone, do something kind for a family member, a friend or a stranger. Making a difference doesn’t need to be complex or difficult, though it certainly can be.
What’s one way that each of us as one person can make one difference? This is how we can gain progress and momentum toward better families, communities and organizations.
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
– William James
