You Can Make A Difference

We are inclined to underestimate our own potential for good. We see reports of now-famous people who have made a difference but these people seem worlds apart from us. Yet the reality is that each of us has the potential to make a difference. All of us will have an effect on the people we meet day by day. The contribution of each of us counts. Background music is “Release Your Mind - Relaxing Meditational and Spiritual Music” by Jordan Jessop via Pond 5

Transcript

Dear friends,

It is true,

You can make a difference,

And in this meditation I hope to give you some reasons for believing that this is so.

Let's begin by spending a little time in quiet reflection.

You might be lucky enough to have a space that you can make your own,

Your own corner for contemplation,

But in any event set yourself down as comfortably as you can.

Eyes closed if that feels comfortable,

Feet firmly on the floor so you'll be grounded on the good earth.

Let your shoulders relax.

Notice if you have any tendency to sit slumped over,

Especially if you spend time working at a desk.

Whenever you notice that habit of slumping over try to correct it,

We don't want to wind up looking like cavemen and cavewomen.

Next take a deep breath in,

And let that breath out with a big sigh,

A super big yawn and a big stretch might be helpful too,

And release any tension you might notice in your face and in your jaw.

After that little exercise and with a little bit of luck you might have arrived,

You will have arrived hopefully in the wonderful here and now.

Body and mind together in the same space,

That doesn't happen very often as we fly through our days on autopilot.

Next let's turn our attention to our breath,

So important,

This life giving breath that we so seldom notice,

And as you breathe in say to yourself something along these lines,

I am aware that I am breathing in,

And the same as you breathe out,

I am aware that I am breathing out,

I am aware that I am breathing out.

Let's pause for one minute now to enjoy the peace of this present moment before we begin our meditation proper.

Let's take a deep breath in,

And let that breath out,

Let that breath out,

Let that breath out.

Welcome back.

The theme of this meditation is you can make a difference.

This is so even though you may be part of a huge organisation,

Even though you may be a citizen of a large country.

William James tells us,

The community stagnates without the impulse of the individual.

The impulse dies away without the sympathy of the community.

This quote encouraged me to offer these few words about how each of us matters,

We each really matter,

And as Reverend Dr Kennet Tanaka reminds us,

We are dependent on others,

Yet we also contribute to others.

Such is the nature of our existence,

Which includes our relationships with our family,

Our friends,

Our community,

The nation,

The international community and the natural world.

The message is that we are interdependent and that we each matter to one another.

We don't just matter as part of a group,

As cogs in a machine,

As citizens of a state,

Even as citizens of the world,

Which is what we are.

We matter one by one,

Every single one of us,

And every person can make a difference in his or her own world of influence.

We all send ripples out just like a stone dropped into a calm lake.

And speaking of water,

Some of you may be familiar with the well known story told by Lauren Isley.

One day a man was walking along the beach and he noticed a boy picking up something and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy,

The man asked,

What are you doing?

The youth replied,

Throwing starfish back into the ocean.

The surf is up and the tide is going out,

If I don't throw them back they'll die.

Son,

The man said,

Don't you realise there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish,

You can't make a difference.

After listening politely,

The boy bent down,

Picked up another starfish and threw it back into the surf.

Then smiling at the man,

He said,

I made a difference for that one.

And so it is with each one of us.

The starfish story reminds us that every one of us can make a difference as we go about our days.

We can do good by helping and inspiring and encouraging the people we encounter.

Most of us have the opportunity to do that most of the time.

And most of us do our best.

Reports of kindness go largely unreported,

But they are far from rare.

It's good that they are so commonplace as not to make the headlines.

What a pity it would be if good deeds were rare enough to feature in the headlines.

You only have to look at the many good people you know to see kindness in action.

Remember Max Ehrman's words in Desert Arata,

Many persons strive for high ideals and every where life is full of heroism.

And yes,

Our deeds and our attitudes influence the people around us.

Now not everything we witness inspires us towards the good.

We have an influence on other people,

But they also have an influence on us.

We have to watch out and take care to keep our independence of judgment and thought.

Not everything we hear or see or read leads us in a positive direction.

We mustn't let ourselves be dragged down by discouraging influences and unsubstantiated rumours.

We have to use our heads,

We must exercise our judgement.

Working for good we must put our best foot forward and try to be the best we can be.

Each of us is special and every one of us can make a difference.

The world needs the contribution of each one of us to keep the wheels of life turning.

Each of us can put our hands to the wheel of positivity this very day.

You might be asking yourself how can I make a difference?

After all I'm just one individual,

What can I do?

In reply to this we have the encouraging words by Edwin Osgood Grover.

I'm sure you've come across this quote in the past.

Edwin says I am only one,

But still I am one.

I cannot do everything,

But still I can do something.

And because I cannot do everything,

I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

We have to remember this,

No matter how small an impact you think you can make in this world,

You are underestimating yourself.

You've got to believe it.

You can make a real difference to the people around you.

You can have a much bigger influence than you might think.

One simple example is the effect of a word of encouragement.

Words of encouragement can inspire creativity and enthusiasm.

I'm sure you've benefited from words of encouragement yourself.

I remember distinctly words of encouragement given to me more than 50 years ago.

Simple words that helped me to keep going with a project that might have been abandoned.

I still recall those words of encouragement,

Whereas I have no recollection at all of words of warning or complaint over the years of which I'm sure there were many.

It shows that the carrot works better than the stick.

It is so important that people up the line of authority give encouragement and praise to people under the direction where it is due.

Genuine praise for the job well done is beyond economic value and it costs nothing at all.

This also works in the reverse direction.

How can we expect the people at the top of the chain of command to be an unending fountain of enthusiasm and creativity?

They may be in charge but they are people first of all.

They have their off days too and they need a well done message coming up from below when they've given a good performance.

I suspect they seldom get it and certainly not often enough I'd say.

We just expect it often.

This applies to leaders in business and in political and even religious life.

Let's take another one minute pause to give thanks for the people who've encouraged us by words of praise.

Well done.

Welcome back.

A closing quote for today,

This is from Saint of the Sapiens by Abhijit Naskari.

The quote is,

One human can change the course of human history.

All it takes is the right idea at the right time in the right place.

And the right place is where you stand at present.

The right time is right this very moment.

And the right idea is the one that defines your existence the best.

Yes,

One human can change the course of human history.

It could be someone listening to this.

It could be you or me.

And why not?

History,

Even recent history,

Is full of examples of people who took time to stop and think,

Here is something that must be done.

Here is a place where I need to make a stand for what is right.

And they had an influence for good,

Which they would not have believed possible.

Might I make a mistake in these efforts?

In theory,

Yes.

When asking ourselves,

How can we judge what is right and what is wrong when it comes to making a difference in the world?

There is one principle that we can fall back on.

It's called the Golden Rule.

And to almost all religions and philosophies.

Living according to the Golden Rule means empathising with other people,

Including people who may be very different from us.

None of us can know what it feels like to be a person living in different circumstances or with a different background or having had a different life experience.

But most of us can imagine what would cause us suffering.

Knowing that makes it easier for us to try to avoid causing suffering to other people.

In other words,

We do not treat people in a way that we would not like to be treated ourselves.

And we needn't fear of making mistakes.

By practising the Golden Rule,

We will do good and we will avoid doing harm.

By practising the Golden Rule,

We can make a difference.

I'm sure you've come across these words which might be an appropriate way for me to end our meditation on this subject.

I expect to pass through this world but once.

Any good therefore that I can do,

Or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature,

Let me do it now.

Let me not defer or neglect it,

For I shall not pass this way again.

Let's remember to always look out for one another.

We are all in this together.

Each one matters.

Namaste.

Reviews

Dear Tony
GRMA for another of your encouraging gems 💎
Hope you are going well in wonderful Dublin. 💚

Thank you Tony 🙏 so much wisdom, pondering, inspiration and motivation you offer in this mediation. The golden rule insight, to apply it to all humanity no matter how different than ourselves has really made me think and therefore motivated me. Thank you. 🌟

I come back to this meditation time and time again. I love the Starfish Story. Thank you Tony. ❤️🌅🌟✨

Uplifting and affirming- a wonderful guided meditation to start my day with intention and heart.

What a great subject on this inspirational day: each of us matters if we care. Namaste 🤓🙏🏻

I am really enjoying discovering your offerings here. Thank you so much.

Tony, thank you for this gentle reminder to practice kindness. Every little bit helps to change the world! Thank you for making a difference. You have made my day and it’s just starting!

Tony, thanks as always a lovely reflection. Namaste 🙏

Really lovely Tony... and such great reminder. 🙏🏽🦋

You are making a difference in my life. Namaste 🌟

Beautiful..Namaste 🌻

Lesson well learned. The Golden rule. ✌️

Beautiful message xx

You are one of my favorite encouragers! I can’t thank you enough!

Thank you for this encouraging reminder my friend. Take care. Namaste 🙏

Beautiful, wonderful words of truth. You are precious! Thank you, bless you.🙏👼🌻🫶🌺💖

Very inspiring. Perfect for today’s chaos. I hope to bring this with me today and make a difference ❤️❤️❤️

Oh Tony this was such a beautiful meditation. Your words come at such a time when our world is in need of this type of change. You my friend are making that change, helping others along the way. You make a difference to me and so many others. I can and will try more each day to make a difference in someone or something else’s life. Thank you so much for always bringing joy to my heart. Have a wonderful day. 🙏🏻💕

Thank you dear Tony!! You are such an inspiration 🙏

Enjoy this mindful meditation bringing to each of us a reminder of the unique gifts we each possess. The reason each of us exists. Be the present you & this 🌎 needs by giving of you. You can both present & be a gift at the same time! Namaste 🧘‍♀️🤲☀️