The Advanced Soul

You Can Make A Difference

My old motto used to be that I alone can’t make a difference. Well, that’s changed now over the last few years. After I changed my outlook on life, I make a difference everyday and I’ve seen the proof from time to time. I’m not doing this to be rewarded by god, or with money, or with more friends, or a pat on the back. I strive to make it a better place for me and others to live. And we only have one earth. So I do my best to leave the house with a big smile on my face. Why not, there’s a lot to be happy about!

When I’m out and about I see lots of people stuck in the daily grind talking on their cell phones, fiddling with the radio or whatever. They seem so preoccupied with stuff that they don’t look out the window and see the beauty of now. I do my best to give them a warm smile and a happy hello. It’s amazing how something so simple can effect somebody. Once I realized that everybody is basically the same, I mean we’re born, have physical bodies and minds. And stuff happens to us during our lives to change our nature. That makes it easier to talk with strangers since we have so much in common. And when I mean talk, I actually do more listening. I study their body language which really tells me how they are doing. Then I’ll ask, “are you alright because you seem a little tense” or something like that. Or I’ll just give them a great compliment and go on my way.

I remember when I was at the grocery store a couple years ago. This older lady came up to me and said that she just wanted to say that I looked very handsome and that I had an awesome smile! She later said that she had cancer and had a new outlook on life and was loving every minute of it. This lady made my day, no, my week! And we can do that too, spreading sunshine on rainy days.

I heard a story from the 1970s about a lost soul. This guy was very depressed and wrote a suicide note which he left in his apartment. He left on foot for the Golden Gate bridge. When he got to the bridge, he jumped off and ended his life. Dr. Jerome Motto was later called to his apartment to investigate. He found the note on his bureau. It said, “I’m going to walk to the bridge. If one person smiles at me on the way, I will not jump.”

What if I had been there to give him that smile? What if that had been one of my family members? It really makes me think.  When I first heard that story it made me cry like a baby.
Here’s an exercise:

1. Imagine somebody close to you that you are not getting along with so well at this moment. Got that person in mind? Now imagine that person is the guy who is going to jump off the bridge later today and CLOSE YOUR EYES for a minute or more. Doesn’t that make your differences seem pretty small?
2. Put on a big smile today and see if you can make a difference in somebody’s life. I guarantee you will, and as a bonus, you may feel great about doing it.  By helping others you automatically help yourself and the world.  Click here to see something to smile about!!!!!

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Posted under: Happiness, Depression
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