My daughter just turned five and even at such a young age, she is constantly getting asked what she wants to be when she grows up. She gives typical, adorable child responses like, a firefighting ballerina, or a nurse to help daddy at the hospital! But I’ve been thinking lately how maybe we focus on the wrong question here. Instead of asking what they want to be when they grow up, what if we asked how they want to change the world?

The world has become increasingly divisive and we seem to have lost track of one of the basic truths of life: We are all human beings deserving of dignity and respect.

What if the world truly accepted this as the foundation of everything? How would this truth inspire you to change the world?

I’m reminded of the random acts of kindness movement. A few years ago, I came out of class to find a sticky note on my windshield that said “you are killing it.” It was a simple phrase, and clearly this person didn’t know me or what it was I would be killing it at. I knew this. But yet that small note of encouragement was like a buoy to my weary, beaten-down college soul. Not only did it reinvigorate me, but it also made me more conscious of the efforts of the people around me. I made a more concerted effort to verbally appreciate the people around me in a sincere and more frequent way. 

What about the pay it forward movement? Strangers generously pay for the next person’s food or coffee, with the hope that the chain of generosity will continue. 

These are both small examples, just one quick interaction in a massive sea of human interactions that make up our daily life. But you never know how kindness can touch someone who may be having a horrible day, or a horrible series of days.

It’s through these small acts of love for strangers, or small acts of love for those closest to us, that we can change the world.

Take some time to make a plan for what you will do, individually and as a family, to change the world. Maybe you will simplify your home and donate your gently used clothing and furniture to someone who has less. Maybe you will begin volunteering at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Maybe you will begin donating monetarily to causes you believe in. Or maybe you will simply treat the people you encounter at the grocery store or coffee shop with more respect and courtesy, treating them as a fellow human being instead of as an inconvenience. 

There are many ways that you can be a #worldchanger. Don’t miss the opportunities. You have a unique contribution.