For the past several weeks, I have been around people who really make a difference. I have been part of two fabulous music productions organized by people with vision who are making a difference. I’m mourning the loss of a dear friend who made a difference. And I’ve been witness to the impact of these events on others. It’s clear, making a difference is deliberate.
We love to attend events, be part of things that impact us profoundly, but we don’t often think about what goes into making them happen. As I move in closer to the process, get involved myself, I see this process more clearly. I realize that this comes from making a choice and holding yourself accountable to higher standards. It’s not always easy, but it is certainly something we can aspire toward to give our live clearer direction.
Let me review what I’ve noticed in the events around me recently. Making a difference doesn’t have to be something as grand as holding a public office, it can be done by any of us in our daily lives.
LET INSIGHT AND CREATIVITY FLOW THROUGH YOU
I have the good fortune to be around creative people, the ones with talent and fabulous ideas, but they aren’t all the front people holding a microphone. They are also the people behind the scenes who set the tone, hold things together, and make it happen.
At one of the productions, the women who ran the theater had the place decorated to the hilt around the 1971 event theme and inspired people to dress up and come to a pre-event gala. It was a huge success and added to the evening’s ambiance. She used her creativity and insight to help raise money for her organization and its success made a difference.
Allow yourself to use your insight and creativity to make a difference.
SPEAK UP – STEP UP
In the other production, the vocalist and star had a dream of hearing her music set to strings. She mentioned it to a composer friend, and he launched a project to not only arrange the music, but also record as an album. This is prompting additional shows as well.
The ripple of this decision to speak up hasn’t stopped there….many other people are noticing how they can step up and be part of this. In fact, both shows are prompting additional creative ideas that are helping others to make a difference.
What creative idea could you suggest that might make a difference?
RAISE THE BAR
In both events, the leaders set very high standards of excellence. It’s not easy to be part of something that has high standards. There’s a certain degree of difficulty to the hard work, an expectation of discipline and professionalism that go with high standards. But obviously, it’s what ends up making the difference.
I realized that raising the bar is something we can all do for ourselves. As one of my friends at work likes to say – “Make the next right decision” and as my father, who was a consummate leader, would teasingly say, “Try to do better next time”. It sets the tone and changes everything and everyone around you when you seek to live with higher standards.
Whatever your walk in life, raising the bar lifts everyone around you.
GIVE A LITTLE MORE
Our dear friend Mitch passed away. He was a steel worker in a huge 6’8” body with a big heart and a gift for singing the blues. He exuded compassion and understanding, and it flowed through his music. He appreciated everyone and everything in his life and eloquently conveyed it, making him beloved by everyone who met him.
From Mitch I realize that you can make a difference simply by being who you are and giving a little more. If we put our heart into what we do, who we are with and be more open in expressing it, we can change our world. You don’t have do anything special other than be more compassionate, open and giving.
Something as simple as giving more can make a difference to everyone and everything around us.
I love recognizing how we can make a difference, change ourselves and those around us simply by noticing and aspiring for more . In this case, I’ve been inspired noticing the impact creative and insightful ideas can make. You can start by speaking up and offering to do something. You set higher standards for yourself that then influence everyone around you. And you can open your heart to give more and be more loving. Any of these will create a shift toward creating change that will make a difference in your life and those of others.
Can you see how you can make a difference? If you’d like to explore It more, I’d be happy to help you find avenues to make this happen. My Transformational Coaching and Counseling fosters this kind of change process. See my website www.spectrumtransformaiton.com for more information and use my Free Consultation link to reach me. I’d love to hear from you.
Photo by Levi XU on Unsplashed
