The Impact We Have...Whether We Know It or Not

We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.

—Marian Wright Edelman,
social activist

"Just recently I was walking down the street and a young man I didn't recognize approached me," says Jonar Nader, author of How to Lose Friends and Infuriate People. "But he said, 'I want to thank you, Mr. Nader. Because of you I am now directing movies.'"

"I asked, 'How is that?'

"He replied, 'Ten years ago we talked at a party, and you told me I'd be good at movie direction. I started to think about that, and that's the profession I pursued.'

"I didn't even remember this young man, and he told me I had changed his life. It made me realize how often what we do affects other people. Sometimes we don't even know we're doing it. Even so, every gesture, every movement, every word we speak does, in fact, impact people. The more we become aware of this incredible power that we have, the more we feel responsible for our actions and begin to take them more seriously.

"When you make a comment about another person, whether it's about their hairstyle or their behavior, realize that they are listening, watching, and absorbing. The point is, that whether you know it or not—and whether you like it or not—you are always serving people. It could be for good, it could be for worse. You don't have to go somewhere special or do something out of the ordinary to give service. Every moment you're with other people, there's some act of service that can be done to elevate someone else."