3 Ways to Making a Difference for Yourself and Others

Deep inside, you want to be inspired. You know that you are capable of doing more but you need a reason and motivation. You like to be recognized and respected for your efforts. You aspire to be the positive change to the people you love and care.

When you feel inspired, you feel a sense of worthiness. All of a sudden, you have focused goals, future visions, and a calling – all driven by your aspirations.

Here are 3 Ways to Making a Difference for Yourself and Others:

1. Selective Listening – Noise is all over the place: at your work, home, and everywhere else. Don’t you just wish you could mute the things you don’t want to hear? Most leaders do. They simply muted the distracting noises. It is the ability to actively and purposely choose certain voices. Select the people you want to associate – those you believe will have a voice in your life. Find people who challenge you, people who eventually equip you with tools you need to influence. Who are you listening to? Are they contributing to the noise or are they moving you forward with solid advice and insight?


2. Active Reflection – We live in a fast-paced and instantaneous world. Information is everywhere. Our targets are constantly moving and our problems have never been so complex. Sometimes, you have to stop long enough to actively absorb and process incoming information. There is an outspoken need for innovation, creativity, and powerful processing to produce a yield that is measureable. All of these take time – and they demand reflection. Take time to read and reflect.


3. Cultivating Care – The act of empathy has never been so underestimated in our cut-throat society. To empathize is to get outside of our boundaries to reach out to people where they are. Simply put, we try to understand another person and their experiences from within their frame of reference instead of our own. We experience empathy through personal brokenness as well. We also experience empathy by spending time with others who are in dire need of help, who are deeply hurting, learning how to consider others more important than ourselves, making time to tap into our personal narrative, and realizing that every person we encounter has a worthwhile story to share.

The combination of listening, reflecting, and caring is an every day practice to self-improvement. Next time you meet someone, always show that you are willing to listen, that you are willing to reflect on circumstances from their frame of reference, and finally - be sincere about it all.