By Mark Foo

Many people believe that they don’t have what it takes to make a difference to the world. They believe only people like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, and the likes, are capable of making a difference.

The truth is, every one of us is put in this world to contribute and make a difference to the world in our own unique way. It need not be anything out of the world. It just needs to be something you do with the intention of ‘doing good’.

The following is a guide as to how small people like us can make a difference to the world.

How To Make a Difference

1. It Need Not Be an Enormous Task

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” – Mother Teresa

You already have what it takes to make the world a better place. Making a difference to the world may seem like an enormous task, but it is in fact the collective effort of everyone to make small contributions with a lot of heart.

The size of the contribution is not what matters most. The key here is to have the heart to do it.

2. Start Now

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

There is no one best time to start to make a difference to the world. You don’t need to wait till you have the time to share some love; you don’t have to wait till you make more money to share a slice of bread. Little efforts count, and you can start making small contributions today.

3. Your Contribution is Never Too Small

“Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.” – Author Unknown

If you think that everything has been taken care of by somebody and your contribution is not going to make much of a difference, then you’re wrong. Can you imagine if everyone else starts to think the same way?

In fact, it is our responsibility to seek ways to contribute, large and small. You don’t have to be concerned you’re only capable of making small contributions. What counts is the effort.

4. The Greatest Gifts of All

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha

Happiness and love are the two greatest gifts you can give to the world. Too often, we’re too indulged in our own gratifications that we forget there are people in this world whom we can make a little happier and feel more loved.

As the saying goes, “To receive, you must first give.” The more you give, the more you’ll receive. Let us remind ourselves that in order to receive more happiness and love, let’s spread more of them first.

5. Empower Other People

“Abilities wither under criticism; they blossom under encouragement.” – Dale Carnegie

You can change the world by helping one person at a time. One of the ways to help someone is to empower the person. But how do you empower a person? Well, one of the ways is to be generous in giving praise and encouragement instead of criticism.

By praising and encouraging the person, you’d have helped him/her to accomplish what he/she is meant to be, and that would lead to more value being added to the world.

6. Seek to Make a Long-Lasting Effect

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.” – Benjamin Disraeli

This is Mr Disraeli’s version of ‘give a man a fish; you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.’

The good that we seek to do will make more of a difference when there’s a long-lasting effect rather than a temporary effect. For example, if we make contributions to build a school, it will benefit many people for years to come.

And when more people receive education, they will in turn provide more value to the world.

7. Stop Whining and Do Something

“If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo

All the whining and complaining in the world is not going to make a difference to the world. It will only drain you of your precious energy from doing things that do make a difference.

Instead of whining and complaining, seek to use the time more productively by engaging in activities that matter. When it comes to making a difference, nothing matters more than taking actions.

8. Lead the Way

“A good example has twice the value of good advice.” – Author Unknown

Other than doing things to make a difference, we should also seek to influence others to start doing things that make a difference. And the best way to convince other people is to lead by example.

Start doing whatever is within your ability today. Start showing more concern and love to the people around you. Start to make monthly donations to your favourite charity. Start putting more effort in your work to increase the value output.

Every effort counts, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem. Just do something, and do something good.

Do you have other suggestions on how we can make a difference to the world? Please share them in the comment section below.

About the author: Mark Foo is a Personal Development Blogger @ TheBigDreamer.com where he writes about Success, Personal Finance, Wealth Creation and Entreprenership to help people become better , wiser and richer. Visit http://www.thebigdreamer.com to read more of his works now.

Who would have thought that Vancouver, the world’s most livable city, would have a serious problem with poverty and homelessness? Not I.

When I came here from Australia last year to live I was shocked when my wife drove me through the eastside of Downtown Vancouver. Never before in a first world country had I seen people in such obviously poor health and living in such a horrible way. The pictures in this article (all courtesy of Dtes People) will give you an idea of the area, but I still don’t think they truly capture the extent of the problems.

Working Gear: My Story of Making a Small Difference

Last year I arrived in Canada in July, but my work visa did not come through until November. I enjoyed this “mini-retirement” – in particular the opportunity to spend time with my son Xavier. But after a few months our savings were low and I found that not working was really beginning to hurt my confidence and confuse my self-identity. It was then that I went in search of some volunteer work and happened upon Working Gear, a newly formed non-profit organization that described its mission as:

At Working Gear we know that there are many barriers faced by unemployed men seeking employment. Many times this barrier is simply a clean suit or pair of steal toe boots. For men who are determined to attaining employment, Working Gear is there to reduce or eliminate this barrier.

Given my unemployed status at the time this was just the type of volunteer work I was looking for. Working Gear has a small space located in the eastside of Vancouver that I posted pictures of above. What this meant was that instead of simply driving through this area, once a month I would venture into this neighborhood on foot and come face to face with the people who called the eastside home.

I was somewhat surprised that I never felt unsafe. I did, however, feel a constant sadness to see people in such a bad state. “How does this happen?” I would frequently ask myself. I know there is no single answer to this question, but there are common themes in these peoples’ stories: a long list of poor decisions, lack of education, bad luck and so on.

What You and I Can Do

Working Gear has shown me there are many people who have a genuine desire to change their situation, but unfortunately face a number of barriers. It has also demonstrated that poverty is not simply a problem “out there” (growing up I always associated poverty with Africa for some reason). Chances are there are people in your city or town who are genuinely struggling to get by and could really use some help.

The following are a few  thoughts and ideas for what you and I can do to make a difference.

Save yourself. In Make the Impossible Possible (great book btw – I highly recommend it), Bill Strickland advises:

“I’m often approached by idealistic young people on fire to do good for others, all hungry to save the world. I tell them the first step is save yourself. Make sure your own life is lined up right, that you know what’s important to you and why it matters, before you set out to make your mark on the world. Do that, I assure them, and everything else will take care of itself. And I am convinced that is true. I never saw a meaningful life that wasn’t based on passion. And I never saw a life full of passion that wasn’t, in some important way, extraordinary.”

When you sort your own life out – whether it be in terms of your finances, relationships, work or happiness – you have both a greater willingness and capacity to help others. This is certainly true from my own experience.

Donate money. While it is important to “save yourself”, I also believe if you are reading this article your lot in life can’t be too bad. It is important to realize that small amounts can make a big difference in the lives of those less fortunate. If you are in the US, one idea is to donate to an organization that puts on Thanksgiving Dinners for the homeless. I recently gave a little bit of money to the Union Gospel Mission who say they can provide a complete Thanksgiving dinner for as little as $2.59 (in Canada we just had Thanksgivings on October 13th).

Donate your time and used goods. As I hope my story with Working Gear shows, there are ways to make a difference in peoples’ lives other than donating money. Community organizations are always looking for help, whether it be painting, gardening, helping kids with their homework, being a “big brother” or “big sister”, visiting an elderly person or serving food to the hungry. And your old clothes and shoes that are getting little to no use can make the difference between a person being able to work or not. As a sidenote, there is also a worldwide organization called Dress for Success which does the same thing as Working Gear, except for women.

Lend your voice. Don’t underestimate the importance of your voice. Make other people aware of poverty and homeless by writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper, contacting your local Member of Parliament (or equivalent), publishing a blog post or simply discussing it with people. Also, think carefully about who you vote for for. The Canadian elections have just been and gone, but if you live in the US and are concerned about poverty I think it is fairly obvious which of the Presidential candidates would do more to address the problem.

Remove your own barriers. I have mentioned a number of simple ways each of us can make a difference. However, you may find that despite having good intentions you are resistant to taking action. If this is the case, I suggest being aware of this resistance and looking closer at what is holding you back. Perhaps you think you don’t have enough time? Or you don’t feel you spare any money at the moment? Maybe you just automatically assume you don’t have anything you can give away? These points may be true, but perhaps you have just haven’t given these questions enough thought. Writing this article has helped me realize I still have a few mental barriers holding me back from doing more.

Final Thoughts

When I first arrived in Vancouver, I saw at the problem of poverty and homelessness in the the Downtown Eastside and thought to myself“isn’t that sad”. Then I kept driving on my way.

I have written this article for people who would like to help out, but for whatever reason aren’t doing so at the moment. I would like to remind you good intentions are only good in so far that they lead to positive action. Over the past year I have learned the importance of not just driving past a problem, but instead getting out of the car and finding a way to make a difference, no matter how small. So why not do something today that will help those less fortunate live better lives? It’s easier than you may think, and I guarantee you will make you feel good about yourself.

If anyone has any other suggestions or would like to share their own stories please do so in the comments below. I would love to hear them!

This post is part of Blog Action Day 08 – Poverty. As I was finishing this article I was also made aware that it is Homelessness Action Week here is Canada. If you are interested in learning more about this problem I encourage you to visit the website Stop Homelessness.

By Peter Clemens

Some people naturally care about their community, the environment and other people. For others, like myself, this caring does not come so naturally despite knowing that we should care. We need a little push to help us take action. If this is you, I would like to share some very simple ideas that will not only helps others and the environment, but also help you.

Recently I completed a driving test to attain my Canadian driver’s license. When I received my license in the mail soon after, I also received a request to sign up as an organ donor. I wasn’t an organ donor back in Australia, I guess because when I was initially given the option at age 17 (when I received my Australian driver’s license) I didn’t really care that a simple decision on my part could save the life of another human being.

Anyway, with my new outlook on life I have realized that being an organ donor is one simple way I can potentially make a difference in the world. After all, my organs aren’t much worth to me if I’m dead, right? Now if you don’t like the thought of being an organ donor, or you have some other reason not to be, that’s cool. There are many other ways we can each make a difference.

Before I go on, though, I want to make clear here that I am certainly not perfect, and there are some things in this article that are “to do” rather than “am doing”. If nothing else, writing this article has helped me by providing the little push I needed to take one small piece of action. Also, I would be very interested to hear your responses in the comments as to anything I may have missed. After all, we is truly greater than me.

First Aid

I just mentioned there is something I have been meaning to do for some time, and this is it. As a parent, I have actually been feeling guilty that I have little to no first aid knowledge. Yesterday, however, I registered for first aid training in the middle of March. It is not just parents, though, who will benefit from receiving first aid training. You just never know when a situation may arise where you having knowledge of first aid could prove the difference between a happy ending and a tragedy.

Donate

This is one thing I was doing back in Australia that I have stopped doing since the move to Canada. Perhaps this is because money has been a bit tight, but when I think about it there is always someone in more need than you and I.

If you would like to get some ideas for what charities need a hand, try:

• Charity Navigator
• Network for Good

As an alternative to giving money, you could donate household goods you don’t use any more, or you could also consider donating your time…..

Volunteer

One of my successes in 2007 was to start volunteering on a regular basis. I volunteer for an organization that helps to provide men with suitable attire for interviews and work (the male equivalent of “Dress For Success” if you have ever heard of it). To be honest, I still often find it hard to motivate myself to go. But once I am there I really enjoy myself. The men that come in must have a referral, which means that they have already taken the first step in helping themselves. And anyone who has ever volunteered will know that it leaves you feeling very good about yourself.

Stay Informed

Is ignorance bliss? Probably. But I, for one, choose the red pill that has me staying informed and in search of the truth. This does not mean you have to consume copious amounts of that garbage that passes for “news”. I like to use filters (such as Reddit or even simply other people) and then do my own reading into topics that are of interest or importance to me. And if you are well informed on an important issue, take it upon yourself to help inform others.

Vote

These days it is easy to take the right to vote for granted. But when you reflect on the struggles that people in the past have been through to attain this right, and the fact that still there are many people worldwide who don’t even have it, you begin to understand its significance and importance. So I strongly suggest not taking your right to vote for granted (yes, I have been guilty of this one in the past).

Then again, if your inclination was to vote for Bush maybe you could do more good by not voting.

Be Green

No, I’m not an environmental fanatic. I do believe, however, we could all treat Mother Earth a bit (hang on, make that A LOT) better. Here are a few things that Kathryn and I do: often use modern cloth diapers (that is our son Xavier to the right modeling one of his), share one car between us, recycle, eat certain organic foods (we can’t afford to buy everything organic), and very recently we purchased some energy efficient light bulbs.

Be Happy

Finally, don’t underestimate the difference simply being happy can make. If you want to see some really happy people, check out the self-proclaimed “happiest blog in the world”: Smiles That Make My Day (found courtesy of Al from 7P Productions).