Back to Article index To print this page, click on the Print icon in your browser.   Make A Difference Day   Every year, in October, a day is designated as "Make A Difference Day." Then in November and December local and national papers print stories about what people did on that day. The intention is for people to do something special for someone else to make a difference in their life. The first time (even the second and third times) I heard about it I thought, "What a great idea! This is a perfect way to get people involved in helping each other!" I still think it's a great way to motivate people to get involved, away from their busy lives.   However, after working as a coach for many years and seeing the difference one person can make in the life of another, I wonder what makes it necessary to be motivated once a year to make a difference instead of touching people every day?   I understand the logical reasons. In my past I was even one of the more vocal, "I just don't have time to touch another person. I'm too busy 'trying' to get my own life to work. Besides, it takes money and I barely have enough to make my own ends meet. How can I be expected to give anything when my life looks the way it does?"   None of my excuses were valid, of course. They were all just excuses; ways for me to justify my behaviors in not helping even one other person. After all, how long does it take to smile? And a smile doesn't cost a thing! As I write this, I'm reminded of one of the greatest lessons I learned at my very first job at McDonald's (I was sixteen and still in school). My manager said, "No matter how you feel, you give every one of your customers your best smile. It may be the only one they see all day and it can make all the difference for them." We were encouraged to make a difference for every customer.   So what does it mean in your life? What difference does it make when you touch another person in a special way? Most people I talk to who practice "random acts of kindness" say they do it as much for themselves as for the other person. They get to feel good about themselves and what they contribute to their world. They know they're not sitting back and watching the world pass by. They're actively involved in affecting some positive change in the world.   It only takes one person at a time to make a difference.   Here's one of the things I do myself and a tool I use with my clients. It's called the "Personal Touch 100". The front page is a pyramid of 100 boxes. In each box the instructions ask you to write the name of a person whose life you want to touch. The following pages are lines for writing each person's name, what you did and how you felt. I use the tool with clients who want to begin touching people in a deeper way and want it to become a habit in their life.   You don't need a tool, though. Look at your own life. What little things have made a difference to you? What touches you? What people make you smile and why? Do those things for other people.   It doesn't take a lot of time or money to make a difference and it doesn't make sense to wait for October to come around each year to make a difference. Begin now. Decide you want to begin, one person at time, to change your world - OUR world. Smile more. Say "Hello!" more often. Hold a door open for the next person. Let somebody in line before you at the bank. Let the driver in the car next to you merge into your lane in front of you.   When you begin touching people every day, you begin elevating the quality of life on earth for everyone. You will also find your way of looking at your life changes. You will begin noticing the little things you can do AND you'll do them. You'll start wearing a smile as part of your daily attire. Create "Make a Difference Day" every day instead of once a year. What power: To touch people and change their life! Imagine your life as you become a force for change in the world.      © Copyright December, 1998. Laura Hess, MCC 702.252.3657