Making a Difference – The First Step

There’s a fascinating conversation going on on Liz Strauss’ always fabulous Successful Blog- yesterday Liz posted a contribution from Jesse Petersen entitled “I Want to Make a Difference, Too“.

Essentially Jesse “put it out there” with this statement: “I Want to Make a Difference”, and then asked these questions:

“What is my idea or what knowledge do I have or need to get in order to make a difference? Is there a roadmap to finding your influence, or does it smack you in the face one day? Is it just a Holy Grail, never to be found? When I find it, will it make a difference in me?”

The statement and questions triggered another one of those “fork in the road” memories for me, so I posted this comment (among many other excellent responses):

Jessie, about 14 years ago I was sitting at my desk in a job I hated, bored to tears and feeling like I was just wasting my time. I got to the point where I picked up a pen and a pad and started writing about what I really wanted to do in life (there weren’t any blogs then!). I wrote “I want to make a difference!”, and then described how – as a leader or manager. I ended up using that “manifesto” in many ways, both in the written and spoken words as I found a way to get out of that bad job and into a good one. Today, I am making a difference, and I know that day and that note played a large part in that. Today Jessie, you just wrote YOUR manifesto – use it as a first step, and keep at it like I did, and you will make a difference. You just took the first step – well done! All the best.

Upon further reflection, I realized that I had nearly forgotten how important it was to literally sit down and write what I really wanted to do with my life. That piece of paper still exists in my “personal” file- my visualization of making a difference.

Like Jesse, I wondered what the “roadmap” was going to be, but I unknowingly put in my back pocket 90% of what I needed – intent.
It was no different than when I decided to become a Half-Fuller; I had to have the intent to be one. I keep going back again and again to a post by Christine Kane called “10 Ways to Set a Powerful Intent” that cuts right to the heart of it (this is really a must-read for anyone struggling with path and purpose).

Her #2 is – “Write your intent. State it aloud to yourself often.”

That’s what I did 14 years ago, and that intent became a reality. Now Jesse has done the same thing by bravely writing his intent for all the blogosphere to see (far braver than me – nobody else has ever seen my piece of paper). Bravo to you Jesse, and keep us appraised on your progress – as you plainly saw on Liz’s blog, you have many people now pulling for you.

Isn’t the blogosphere wonderful – take that, George Will!