I was thinking about something I heard from a teacher of mine in high school. My English teacher from my junior year sat with us in the classroom as we were talking about historical figures in some sort of literary context. She looked around and said (paraphrasing) “The probability of one of you having the ability to be in one of these history books is high… so will you? And if you do, will they be good pages? Can you write things worth reading, or do things worth writing?”
I often pondered that… how can someone from little Hiawatha, KS do anything? I learned that there is one thing everyone can and does do in their life, they impact. Think about it, since we were infants we have impacted the world and people around us. From the people we interact with, to the activities we are a part of, every single person has made an impact of this world. Every day we have the opportunity to make an impact to enrich others’ lives. Some people make such an impact that they end up forever printed on this world with ink in a textbook, biography, etc. but the first thing they did was print on someone else’s heart, future, and life. So, before you think you are too small to be the next Mother Teresa, Walt Whitman, George Washington, etc. what can you do to impact someone around you? Impact is a ripple effect… and even if you don’t end up on the pages of a textbook you will eventually cause a ripple that will cause someone else to be written about (which is cool to think about). This also means your impact does not have to be solving world hunger, you just have to live with a heart for others. Or like one of my best friends says, you must be intentional.
How do we live intentionally? Truthfully I like to slow down and take time to think. “What can I do to get the most out of my day?” When thinking in a context of impact, “What can I do today to spread joy, kindness, etc. to others?” This can be a specific person or three strangers you want to compliment, but no matter how big or small the impact is, it can change someone’s hour, day, year, or life.
So, I ask again, what do you want to do to make an impact? Is there a problem in your community that needs to be solved? Maybe you can help a neighbor, friend, or even play with a younger sibling. Although it is scary to think about, people do watch your actions. Whether you try or not you will impact someone’s life, so why not try to do it intentionally and with purpose. Here is to the next steps of writing things worth reading and doing things worth writing, to make an impact.
Jocelyn Dvorak
State Treasurer