This weeks blog post is late, I’ve been recovering from gastro. That was not fun being 33 weeks pregnant let me tell you! I have been thinking a lot about my post last week and how the general consensus is that this year has had a lot of downs. Trying to climb out of a slump emotionally and mentally has been really tough these last few months. I’ve been trying to figure out why most of us are feeling drained or afraid to start something. The uncertainty of current times and all the negative news within our society is surely playing a big role.

I feel in our society, we are told to make a difference and are expected to make a big impact. I think this is far too daunting. Imagine having that on your shoulders, that’s an unbelievable amount of weight. Too much for many, this then causes the “I can’t impact the world, so there’s no point in trying” attitude, which I absolutely understand. The mentality of “Go big or go home” is frustrating. It indicates that unless the actions and impact are great then don’t bother. I certainly wouldn’t want my children to feel that if they aren’t going to change the world their lives mean nothing.

This is not to say people can’t make a huge impact. Nor that they shouldn’t try. Anyone can make a big difference, if they find the right power within themselves. What I am saying is, changing one life is just as important as changing the world. If one thing you do changes one persons life for the better, then that should also be celebrated as a big win. Not on social media for the likes, congratulate yourself. Smile and remember that feeling. If you are the person who was helped, thank them. You don’t have to praise them to the world, but a simple heartfelt thank you goes a long way.

We should be passing this knowledge down to our kids. So they don’t feel like they are starting from scratch. They certainly have much more to contend with than we did as kids. The skills they need are slightly different. We need to teach them to care and be kind to themselves first. Than to do small things to help others. The small things make a huge difference. If they already have some of these skills under their belt before they are thrown out into the world, maybe it won’t be so daunting to reach a little bigger each time.

How we teach our kiddos this when we too are probably overwhelmed and buried under the recent stresses of the year I don’t know. I guess talking to them about how we are feeling, seeing if they’ll talk to us about their feelings would be a good step. I know we can’t unload everything on them, they are only little and they shouldn’t be dealing with our problems. But letting them know we can get a bit scared and anxious too, will let them know that they are not alone.

Changing the world isn’t a one person job, you need a team, to surround yourself with people you can trust, who have the same will and desire to do good. Together we can all make a difference, whether it be small or large it doesn’t matter. It’s the intention and emotion (love and gratitude) behind the actions that count