How many times have you heard someone say “I want to make a difference”? It is obvious that they haven’t thought about what they are saying very much. Everyone alive makes a difference. It is not always a positive difference. It is not always a significant difference to many people, but the very fact that you exist changes the world.
Perhaps a better way to phrase what many who say it may mean is “I want to do something to make the world a better place.” This is better but still too ambiguous for my taste. If you’re going to set your goals high, you need to be more specific about what you intend to do. It is the only way that you are going to accomplish them in any case.
First, you need to identify something that you feel very specifically is wrong with the way things are in the world. Be aware, that everyone may not agree with you. Some people may think the thing you are setting out to change is good the way it is. They will fight you every step of the way.
An example of a good goal might be, “I’m going to reduce the carbon footprint of my home town by 20%.” This might be a perfectly reasonable goal. On the other hand, if there has already been a lot of work done on reducing the carbon footprint in your home town, it might be unreasonable. You need to do your homework before you pick a goal.
Second, you need to figure out exactly what you intend to do to bring about the change. You should measure the way things are now and measure them continuously as you execute your changes. You should be able to tell whether you are changing things for the better, for the worse, or having no effect at all on them. If you don’t have specific plans for improving things and measuring your success, you won’t be able to determine whether or not you have accomplished anything.
And finally, you need to be able to let others take credit for your hard work. If you can’t do that, you may not be able to accomplish your goal and when it gets right down to it, you weren’t really out to make the world a better place but to feed your ego. This last point is the hardest one for most people to accept. But in the end, it is the most important.
By all means, set your goals high. But do it for noble reasons. And when you succeed, the world will really be a better place and you will have made a difference in a very significant and positive way.
Sweet dreams, don’t forget to tell the people you love that you love them, and most important of all, be kind.