One Person Can Make a Difference (Really!)
I just attended United Way’s “Changing the Odds” Community Breakfast this morning and I got a little burst of inspiration that made my day. Keynote speaker, Liz Murray, a former homeless teen, gave a touching speech on her experience growing up and how she was able to turn her life around. The one thing she stressed was how important a person can have if they simply reach out and help someone that needs it. Even one person can make a difference. For Liz, it was a teacher at a high school she hoped to attend that welcomed her and encouraged her to succeed. She finally had someone who didn’t reject her, and instead believed in her potential to make a future for herself. Liz was able to finish high school and then got accepted into Harvard. I’m excited to read her book Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard!
I kept thinking back to my own experience as a volunteer in the Philippines. Sometimes it was overwhelming when I thought about the work that still needed to be done, instead of remembering the students that I had mentored in one way or another. I’d get caught up in the big picture and think I was not making a difference, when really, I was making a difference to those handful of students who showed up to my office every single day.
It only takes one person in someone’s life to make a difference, and if we could all remember that, we might just possibly change our world in a radical way.
How will you reach out to someone else today? How will you become that one person they might need?
