affecting others

Although more than once in my life I have been accused of "thinking too much", I have come to believe that each of us has a purpose - or maybe more than one - for our lives. We all have slightly different versions of what our purpose is, but I think if we boil it down to the common denominator it is quite simple. Our purpose in life is to affect the lives of those around us in a positive way.

Okay, I know that sounds like something out of the "Girl Scout" oath, but I believe it. It is far too late for me to apologize for using clichés so I will just go ahead and remind you of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. . . or "It's a Wonderful Life". Yes, these are fictional stories, but you have to admit that they get to you. Why? They hold a profound truth within them. That is that we all affect other people ever day of our lives. The question is what kind of effect are we having?

I have a core belief that all of us have a desire to make a difference in this world. I think that most people would do more than they do now but they simply don't know where to begin. Think about stories on the news in which we hear about a family that has been burglarized. .. and then the next day the news reports about the dozens of people that came forward to help. Most people really do want to help their fellow man: to make a difference. They just don't know where to begin.

A few days ago on the news was the story of a high school student who had volunteered in a homeless shelter. She realized that the people there had nothing to read, so she began to collect magazines from friends and neighbors. Today, at 17, she runs a non-profit organization that sends used magazines to hundreds of shelters.

With ToleNet, a group of artists that I work with online, we have managed to help facilitate getting over 7000 boxes to hospitals in several countries for families that lose infants in the hospital. All of that came out of a letter to the ToleNet mailing list and an idea that maybe we could act as an intermediary between the artists and hospitals. Literally hundreds of artists have donated their time and money to participate in the program and we have touched families around the world with the effort.

Within each of us is the capacity to change the world for the better, to make a difference. A dozen times each day we make choices that affect other people. Think about the nice man that held the door open for you when you had your arms full. Think about the person that let is slam in your face another day. Those are choices. It is a matter of paying attention to what is going on around you and responding to it. Going the extra mile sometimes really only takes a few seconds.

Recently we moved and we have these lovely neighbors from Idaho. The husband is an officer in the military and every time I come home, if he is around, he walks out and asks if I need a hand with anything. He has offered tools and help when we moved in. Now, I've never actually needed help from him, but I have been touched each time he took the time to offer. Somehow just knowing that someone thought enough of me to take the time to ask brightens my day.

It is a new decade, a new millennium, and a new chance at life each day. Consider how you live your life. Do you take time to consider others? How can you use your talent to make a difference in the lives of others? At the end of the day, can there be anything more satisfying than to do something you love, and have the knowledge that you have also made a positive difference in someone's life as a result?

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