As a young mother, my children have often asked me if they can change the world. I always tell them that everyday people can do extraordinary things. What would life be like if explorers never learned that the world was round? If one man hadn’t experimented, then the world might not have electricity. Every day modern conveniences and medicines exist solely because one person had an idea and was willing to take a chance. Now, I know that with the hustle and bustle of everyday life that people can feel like they cannot make enough of a difference, but this is not the case. Each of us has it in us to do big things.
For example, if you pay for the coffee for a person behind you, then you will have a profound impact on their mood that day and the act of giving alone will stay with them forever. What if you gave a compliment to someone who has low self-esteem? This one act of kindness might make him or her feel great and boost their self-confidence. Each of us can help a neighbor unload heavy bags, donate items that are no longer needed, give blood at a blood drive, offer to give someone a ride who does not have transportation or pitch in at organizations that need volunteers.
Having a giving mindset is important because it can spurn true change. Money alone does not solve all the problems in the world. It takes people to drive the changes that need to be made so that the quality of lives that everyone has is as decent as possible. Parents have to step up and be good examples for their children. You do not have to spend hours each day giving back in order to change someone’s life. By just taking a few minutes, you can accomplish a lot if you put your mind to it. One way to accomplish this is to take slips of paper and write good deeds to do in your community on them and place them in a jar by your bed. Remove one slip from the jar each day and complete the task. Write down in a journal each task that you completed and how you felt before and after. Each month, the slips can be changed out so that you can become even more creative. If you successfully complete one task per day, then that will add up to 365 good deeds per year. Imagine what would happen if 1,000 people did the same thing?
Transforming a community takes time. It takes just one pebble to start a ripple effect though. Today, please consider being a pebble and leading others by your example. You never know what great things could end up happening because of your hard work and dedication.
The post Yes, You Can Change the World: How Everyday People Can Do Extraordinary Things appeared first on KENYAN HERALD.