261 Days ’til 40: Big or Small, You CAN Make an Impact!

I have often heard individuals complain that they are not capable of making a difference.  When they complain, they are full of tons of self denigrating examples, I call them the “I’m Nots”  I am sure you have heard the “I’m nots” from time to time, perhaps you have even spoken them yourself.

The “I’m Nots” tend to go like this:

I’m not:

good enough

smart enough

pretty enough

confident enough

wealthy enough

patient enough

talented enough

disciplined enough

liked enough

experienced enough

energetic enough

rested enough

bold enough

brave enough

strong enough

….. the list goes on… and on… and on.

The tremendously sad reality is that this list is often created on false beliefs and premises, and yet those false beliefs become paralyzing forces in a person’s life.

When I was in college I had an acquaintance who talked about his own battle with the “I’m Nots.”  For him, it manifested when he was in a group that likened the community to being parts of one body that worked together.  Because he had a serious case of the “I’m Nots” he said, “Well, if we are all a body, all I am is the little toe.”  Ironically, this individual worked in a hospital.  As it turns out, not long after he self-proclaimed as a little toe he was asked to sit in on a case discussing the rehabilitation of an individual who had lost their little toe.  My acquaintance learned that day that the little toe is greatly responsible for balance while walking and the loss of the little toe was indeed traumatic and required an intensive amount of physical therapy in order to retrain the body to compensate for life without a little toe.  He learned in that moment that no matter how little one may think they are, their function can be very critical in our world.

I chose the photo today because caterpillars do not seem like much, but when they transform themselves and blossom into gorgeous butterflies they give the world such a gift with their beauty.  I always love watching young children come to the understanding that this fuzzy little worm is really capable of transforming into such a beautiful butterfly.  This metamorphosis is really one of the great wonders of nature.

Today, 261 days ’til 40, I remind myself that I do have value and I can make an impact.  I will strive to make an impact, rather than make excuses.  If I am willing to admit that I can make a difference then I will reap great rewards from being active in contributing to our society.  I am sure you will too.

~400daystil40