on April 19, 2022
There are many situations in life that are beyond your control. That’s the plain and simple reality. You can’t control the actions of politicians, or stop wars, or singlehandedly eliminate harmful pollutants. And you definitely can’t control the weather (if only!). On a smaller scale, there are many aspects of your job, family life, and personal life that are out of your hands. After all, we can’t control the thoughts and actions of others, nor should we!
This lack of control can be frustrating at times. You might start to feel insignificant—a tiny fish in an enormous ocean. What difference could your actions truly make?
While you may not have much influence on a larger scale, you still have the power to make a difference. Instead of focusing on things that are out of your control, I encourage you to shift your thinking and concentrate on the things that are manageable—things you can potentially fix, control, or influence.
Small actions can (and do!) make a difference.
For example, many grassroots campaigns rely on small donations from many donors. The average donation to The Wikimedia Foundation (which runs Wikipedia.org) is only $15. Yet, thousands of people donate, which helps keep the company afloat.
Another great example: Girl Scout cookie sales. Even though the Scouts make only about $4.00 for each box of cookies they sell, they sell about 200 million boxes each year. That’s $800 million in sales! The organization reaches this impressive figure by selling just one box at a time…
This is all tied back to one key aspect of Self-Wealth: Hope. Hope is the root of positive action. Hope for a better future can inspire us to take action, even when we feel like a “small fish.” When we’re hopeful, we can see past life’s obstacles and negative aspects—we can start focusing on the positive and envision better outcomes.
I encourage you to cling to hope and truly believe in a better, brighter future. When you have this type of outlook, small actions don’t feel useless; they feel powerful. Even if your actions don’t “move the needle” much right away, keep at it! Be courageous and gritty enough to keep going and keep working for positive change. Make a small donation, volunteer for a local church group, clean up trash along the river—anything that is within your power to do.
This mentality can also be applied to your work. If you’re facing a large, intimidating project, take it one step at a time. Write a few sentences of a report, complete one small task, send one email. Your bite-sized actions will add up over time.
In short, take action! Even if your contributions seem small, they do add up and they do make a difference.