127 Ways to Make a (Huge) Difference

We all want to believe that who we are matters. We desperately want to know that what we do makes a difference.

That’s not odd.  It’s the way that we are made.  Our brains are made to search for meaning —  to find self-worth.

Like footprints through the timeline of destiny, we like to look back and feel assured that us being there made the world a better place.

“What did we do?  How much money did we amass?  How many awards did we win? What lasting value did we contribute to history?”

It’s actually a lot easier than that.  Changing the future for those around you isn’t about mind-blowing  invention, legendary awards, or vested stock options.

It’s the small things that make a different.  It’s a lifetime of details expertly managed.

Here are a few (small) ways to make a (huge) difference:

1. Open the door for a stranger
2. Smile at those around you
3. Be a mentor
4. Say, “Thank You”
5. Assume the best in others
6. Fail gracefully
7. Learn from your mistakes
8. Try something new
9. Practice being vulnerable
10. Stop whining
11. Listen to your critics
12. Decide to be optimistic
13. Fear less
14. Get into financial shape
15. Ask more questions
16. Be kind
17. Donate time to charity
18. Read a new biography
19. Let yourself be inspired
20. Teach what you’ve learned
21. Do something outrageous
22. Lead someone
23. Give an opinion when it’s hard
24. Think for yourself
25. Pay off debt
26. Care about others
27. Put in more effort
28. Chose a side
29. Pay attention to the details
30. Ask for help
31. Pay more for quality
32. Be a friend
33. Tell the truth
34. Lend a hand
35. Do physical labor
36. Put in some exercise
37. Let past mistakes go
38. Brag on someone else
39. Decide not to get angry
40. Be invincible
41. Share more
42. Explore new ideas
43. Be more efficient with your time
44. Love someone
45. Be more effective with your talents
46. Stop playing politics
47. Have a dream
48. Meditate on your goals
49. Plan to be successful
50. Get up an hour earlier
51. Pursue your goals each day
52. Be an expert
53. Write down your thoughts
54. Make a list of tasks to get done
55. Stop explaining “why”
56. Apologize more
57. Live with honor
58. Decide to take action today
59. Stay mentally strong
60. Feed your inspiration
61. Practice getting back up
62. Put yourself in tough places
63. Avoid the crowd
64. Fight mediocrity
65. Cry when you hurt
66. Stop being passive aggressive
67. Laugh at life
68. Have a purpose to each day
69. Find answers to your questions
70. Go to bed tired
71. Don’t stop until you finish
72. Be accountable
73. Ask “what you can do better”
74. Be passionate about others
75. Work on your biggest weakness
76. Give a stranger flowers
77. Pay attention to the conversation
78. Replace “No” with “No Thanks”
79. Hold the elevator door
80. Appreciate differences
81. Let someone else get the attention
82. Compliment a great idea
83. Be less selfish
84. Listen with your eyes
85. Work on being  p-a-t-i-e-n-t
86. Ease someone else’s pain
87. Say what’s on your mind
88. Slow down (for a minute)
89. Demand brutal analysis of your actions
90. Have a big vision for those around you
91. Create what’s missing
92. Imagine the possibilities
93. Defend your friends
94. Stay in mental shape
95. Care enough to cry
96. Remember the good times
97. Write a kind note
98. Over look immaturity
99. Give away your best idea
100. Offer to help for free
101. Care less about “being right”
102. Stop being offended so easily
103. Have a plan
104. Schedule time to invest in others
105. Value your own time
106. Offer encouragement
107. Share a good example
108. Inspire others quietly
109. Shake hands while looking that guy in the eye
110. Offer to buy dinner or dessert
111. Make a call because “you’re thinking about them”
112. Don’t do anything halfway
113. Decide to learn from everyone
114. Welcome diverse perspectives
115. Do good things for the right reason
116. Shake off the straws (before they break your back)
117. Don’t go to bed angry
118. Get help for your head
119. Let life happen around you
120. Deliberately invest in healing
121. Enjoy others’ success
122. Make a big deal of small wins
123. Decide if caring is more important that winning
124. Share your failures unblemished
125. Put in the effort you expect of others
126. Anticipate  the success of others
127. Ask others to “pay it forward”

Bonus 128.  – Be a better “you”…

It’s not all you doing something.

“It’s you being.”

You can only “do” so much.  But you can “be” a difference 1,000 times today.  And just imagine if you did that every day for the next year?  You might effect a million different outcomes for the better.

Now think about that 30 years from now.

“What would happen if we didn’t waste the next 30 million small opportunities to make a difference?”

How much could we do?  How many lives could we change?

Are you ready to get started?