Category: making a difference

I have a confession to make. I used to believe in limits.

Others told me they knew what they were so why wouldn’t I believe them? Those who told me said that they loved me and wanted the best for me. It never occurred to me that they wouldn’t tell me the truth.

I’ve come to understand, we all do our best based on what we’ve accepted as the truth. Rarely does someone who cares about me intentionally steer me wrong. Their actions are based on what they believe to be true, whether it is or not.

Knowing this, it’s important for me to explore and discover for myself.

One day I was told it is very difficult for one person to make a real difference in this world. I suppose they were trying to keep me from reaching too far and getting hurt.

They told me we’re just too small and that we have to be reasonable about our expectations. They allowed that we could have an impact on the small stage that surrounds us, but not on the world at large.

Perhaps you’ve been told this too.

At some point I released this kind of thinking. I came to believe it is up to each of us to decide the value and reliability of this idea.

Regardless of the number of times I heard this repeated, something did not seem quite right to me about it. Why couldn’t I connect meaningfully beyond my small group?

Did others think I would feel pain if I failed? Did they think that perhaps I did not have anything worthwhile to say or that others would not want to hear it?

Maybe they did not want me to break away from them for fear they might need to change too.

I cannot know what reasons others have, but I feel I owe it to myself to see beyond my small world.

I want to tell you a few things, not to make myself look bigger, but so you can see yourself as bigger.

I am like you. I have certain talents and dreams, fears and illusions, hopes and aims. I don’t feel there is anything unique about me that favors my succeeding where you might not. I believe you are way bigger than anyone has ever told you.

You may be wondering- how can I say that?

I say it because I believe it to be so. We all have radiance and brilliance built in. We’ve had it since we arrived here at birth. It came with us and is just waiting to come forth.

One day I decided to step out of my small shell and engage my heart fully. I decided I would create a website and write posts (like this one) as a means of inviting others along on my journey. Thanks to Cheri, one of my dear friends, this site became a reality. Since beginning, almost 500 people decided there was enough value in my words to join me. And thousands have viewed my site and connected with me, representing 98 different countries in the world. Folks from thousands of miles away wanted this connection. Of course, I have no idea how my thoughts and words have influenced them, but that is not up to me. My part is to live my true self and offer it to the world.

One day, Cheri and I decided to push out further into the world. I spent a few dollars and boosted a series of posts for a month on Facebook and Instagram. We were told that a reasonable expectation for a viewing audience would be approximately five to ten thousand people. After 28 days, 1.6 million people had viewed them. Mind-boggling!

Had I listened to what others had told me or to my small self, believing I could not have an impact on the world, none of this would have happened.

Please understand, the incredible value I find in these two examples is that they represent the extraordinary reach each one of us has. I hope to reinforce you own belief that YOU are capable of making a difference in this world. It doesn’t matter if it’s one person or a hundred thousand people.

If you decide to break out and share your radiant true self with the world, please let me know. And remember, I believe in you.