Making a Difference in the Lives of Others

Whether you work for yourself or for someone else, your goal each day should be doing what you can to make a difference in the life of someone else. Sometimes all it takes is a smile to brighten someone's day.  I know because I have been the recipient of warm smiles and friendly conversations from strangers when I needed them most.  

You and I have been blessed with a unique gift of skills and abilities and I believe it is our duty to use what we have been given to bless someone else.  To make a difference in someone else's life doesn't mean you have to do incredible things.  Often times it's the small things you say or do that have the greatest impact. 

This brings me to the story of Joshua (pictured on the left).  He's a young man I interviewed a few months ago for a job with our City.  As I recall he was extremely articulate, very well mannered and had a wonderful ability to express his thoughts and ideas (he was truly in the minority of everyone I interviewed). A couple of months after the interview, he found me via Facebook and sent me this message:

My name is Joshua (last name withheld) and I am a summer intern here at WUNC radio station. I'm not sure if you will remember but, you interviewed me for the Durham Summer Youth Internship. At the end of our time together you said that I done a great job but you also warned me that in the future my hair could be negative sign to future employers. 
Ironically, I'm creating a story about whether "hairstyle affects employment?" I was hoping to get in contact with you and do an interview if you would be willing.

I had to go back into my memory bank to recall the young man because, truth be told, I gave out A LOT of advice to many of those young people because I really wanted them to have a chance to be successful at whatever they wanted to do.  The interviewing process and their presentation is the beginning, and as we all know it can make or break you.

Here's the deal:  I intentionally set out to make a difference in Joshua's life that day.  I didn't know how well he would receive it because not all young people are receptive to constructive criticism (especially not these days).  But the irony here is, HE actually made a difference in MY life when he reached out to let me know he was listening and was willing to take my advice.

We all have the ability to make an impact every single day.  We may not all be able to do great things but we can certainly do small things in a great way.

So think about it.  Whose life are you going to make a difference in tomorrow?