How An Individual Can Make a Difference
Globalization is a wonderful thing, except that it can make us feel small and insignificant. Now more than ever we read stories of people who are changing the world, setting a standard that can seem impossible to meet. Even so, you can find many satisfying ways to make a difference as an individual even in modern times. Making a difference is more a matter of attitude than following a set list—if it were, then everyone could do it, and it wouldn't be much of a difference at all! Instead, keep several goals in mind and think about how best to apply them to your life.
1. Keep Learning: You're never too old to learn something new, and certainly never too old to change your outlook. Every new thing you learn makes you a more unique individual. Don't be afraid to look like a newcomer—everyone is one at the beginning. It doesn't even have to be completely new. If you enjoy cooking, learn a new set of recipes. Practice a language that you've ignored by visiting foreign language forums and chat rooms. Or you can break out and learn something that you've always wanted to do but never had time for. Pick at random if you have a list and have a hard time deciding—the key is to start doing something.
2. Live Courageously: in other words, if you want to make a difference as an individual, you must first individualize yourself. Take a good long look at the friends you keep and the activities you partake in—do you see a pattern, or a few common threads? If so, it may be a sign to re-evaluate your relationships. It's easy to fall into a pattern of conformity; in a sense it is our default state as social animals. However, making changes to these patterns or abandoning them completely is a worthwhile step that is easy to resolve to do but hard to accomplish.
3. Cultivate a demeanor of respect and inner tranquility: the internet stands today as a realm of possibility where ideas can commute and enrich the lives of its participants. However, when ideologies clash, the confrontations tend to be harsh and unproductive. Even worse, the hostility drives people into a cycle of defensiveness, leading to blogs and opinion columns become echo chambers rather than sites for productive discussion. If you want to truly make a difference in the wide open world rather than preach to the choir, you must endeavor to maintain your dignity even when confronted with hostility. Learn to assess when persistence is a strength and when it is better to let things go. Persisting is a form of endurance, best built up gradually over time.
Start small—it is easier to keep up a small change than it is to keep up a big one. However, always strive to set the bar higher once you've accomplished your goal—that way, you can learn about yourself and the way you, personally, can make a difference.
