Are You Ready to Change the World This Year?

Happy New Year to one and all! While we are already one week into 2024, I know that today is the first day "back to work" for many folks, and certainly it's the first blog post that I'm providing. 

Like so many others, I've been off work in some measure for the better part of two weeks. During that time, I allowed myself to slow down, giving both my body and my brain a break from the usual. I do love my down time. Admittedly, part of my down-time was an enforced one due to Covid making an unwelcome appearance. But it was comparatively short-lived and in no way debilitating. Instead, it was almost a reinforcement, an insurance that I didn't rush back to the level of intensity that was present before. 

As I allowed myself to sit in the stillness, I did a lot of reading, of listening to audio clips and a lot of watching videos. I finally joined the Ted Lasso fan club and watched the entire 3 seasons (totally worth it!!). And I started to notice a theme: it revolved around making a difference, around leaving an impact, around ultimately changing the world. 

What I know about this theme is that, in my own life, it feels like a pretty prevalent one. I am someone who wants to change the world. Moreover, I often feel called to do so, as if somehow, this is what I'm meant to do. 

Don't get me wrong; this isn't ego speaking. This is just an awareness I have that part of my "job" is to make a difference, and by extension, to change the world. 

If I allow myself to feel into that ultimate impact -- that "change the world" bit -- I can get more than a little overwhelmed. I mean, I am one person out of however many billions there are on the planet. The idea of changing the world is daunting. And yet, there is this other truth that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt: actions have ripple effects. Which means that every small action I take, every small difference I make does, in fact, change the broader world in some measure. 

I may not know how far my impact reaches. 

I may never know how many people are touched by the ripples of any one action I take. 

And I may have to be okay with not knowing. 

I recently read a story of a monk who spoke to a group of students, reminding them that the odds of them ever being called upon to act as a hero -- running into a burning orphanage to save children, for example -- were pretty slim. But basic acts of kindness? We are all called to do these every day. We are all given moments to do the seemingly mundane but meaningful actions every day. And these small acts are ultimately the acts that change the world.

Making time to listen to a colleague.

Smiling at the barista at a local coffee shop.

Holding a door for someone.

Allowing someone to go ahead of you in line. 

Helping a family member with chores.

Checking in on a friend or loved one. 

So many ways to make a difference. Which means, ultimately, so many ways to change the world. 

As we enter into 2024, what I know for sure is that the world needs us all, in our own individual way, to get deliberate about making a difference. We need to be intentional about engaging in small acts of kindness, because those small acts have big impact. When I sit down at the end of 2024, I want to be able to look back and know that I made a difference. And the way in which I will do this, is to get intentional about the small, everyday actions in which I engage. How will you change the world this year?