3 Things you can do Instantly to Become a Community-Wide Difference Maker
3 things you can do instantly to become a community-wide difference maker.
In times of uncertainty, how can you alone be a difference maker in the community or city where you live? Believe it or not, you don’t have to be on the city council, a large business owner, or the mayor to be a difference maker. You can instantly become a community-wide difference maker by simply making a few small changes.
When an unexpected event happens in your city or community which could potentially have some negative implications on the local economy, it’s difficult to realize how you alone could make any type of significant impact that would influence the actual outcome. Even the most optimistic people are most likely a little fearful of what’s to come. Change is difficult. It disrupts what we’ve become accustomed to and our habits that we are comfortable with. Change is hard, uncomfortable, and requires us to be adaptable. A lot of times, we have very little control over the change we are faced with, and if we don’t agree with it or like it, we can tend to put our focus on the negative results we believe will happen. While doing this seems to make us feel good for a temporary time, it has zero positive impact on the actual outcome. Our intentions may be good, but focusing on the result in any effort, verses focusing on the change to achieve the result rarely, if ever, works out. If we want to overcome and end up on the prosperous side of any position, we must tackle the unfortunate situation head on, and become a part of the solution in the place where we live.
Yes, it will be hard, yes it will be uncomfortable, and yes we have to be willing to adapt, but we can decide to prosper in the midst of unexpected and disruptive change. You alone can be a part of the solution that will ultimately bring prosperity in challenging times. When faced with hardship, history teaches us the thing we can all do, that is to unite and conquer. We can tighten our belt, and make some necessary changes that will have a positive effect on the city or community we live in. You alone can become a community-wide difference maker.
Here are 3 things you can do that will instantly turn you into a community-wide difference maker and ultimately improve the prosperity of the city or community where you live, in times of uncertainty.
- Focus on the Positive– Being positive isn’t about having your head in the cloud thinking everything is eventually just going to work itself out. Being positive is making the effort to focus on the things we can change, being willing to work hard, adapt, and persevere. When we exert our energy on the negative results that could happen, instead of the behaviors we could change which would create a more positive outcome, we open the door for mayhem. To be a part of the solution, we must focus on the positive. Every city and community has something great about it. Take a moment to make a list of all the positive things you love about where you live and keep it in your sight. No matter how you may feel, how tempting it may be, or how upset and angry you are about the situation, commit to focusing only on the good. This includes what you put out on your social media or anything that would have a negative tone to it. Focus on the positive to become an instant community-wide difference maker.
- Shop Local- We see the words shop small or shop local often, but what does it really mean to you? In uncertain times, we must tighten out belt, unite and conquer. The best way of doing that is to do an inventory of where you are spending your money. If you notice that you are spending money on-line, in other cities, or in big box stores that do not give back to your community, you have an amazing opportunity to make an adjustment in where your dollars are going and have a huge impact on the prosperity of your city. In fact, this is most likely the biggest positive impact you can make. Make a commitment to only shop local when possible, or shop only at big box stores that give back locally. If you and/or your family tend to take weekend getaways…Commit for the next year to do staycays (a local vacation). Find out what your city has to offer in locally owned hotels, shopping, dining, wineries, bike trails, hiking, and other local entertainment. I bet you will be surprised. If a city is going to fully prosper, the people who live there must decide to shop local. Shop local even if it cost a little extra money than buying on the internet. Look at it like this, when you buy on the internet you have no idea where your money is going most of the time. You are adding to someone’s wallet that has zero investment in the city where you live and which you love. On the other hand, when you spend money in your community with local businesses, these are the folks who support your kid’s athletic programs, give to your favorite charity when you ask, and support what’s happening locally that will bring about prosperity. If we think on that and remember the positive outcome of shopping local, it is easy to see the little extra it sometimes cost as our investment to prosper our city and to be a part of the solution. When you shop local and small, you are a being a community-wide difference maker.
- Get Involved- Yes, take action! Start doing what you think others should do. What are you passionate about? That’s a great place to start when it comes to getting involved. All cities have nonprofit organizations that need your time, talent, or treasure. In fact, they are the first to suffer when times get tough. Instead of pulling back in giving…Keep giving. It takes some sacrifice, but it is worth it. Remember, you can always give of your talents, or time if money is too tight. Get involved in something your city is planning that has a positive outcome predicted, and participate in as many local events as possible. Do you have or plan to have children in public schools? Get involved with the PTA’s or boards to voice your opinion. We can make a huge positive impact in our community by being involved with the school district/s. When you get involved where you live, you become a community-wide difference maker.
“Start doing what you think others should do…Be a community-wide difference maker.” ~Kim Martin
Kim Martin
Click HERE to get a Free download or to purchase Kim’s book DECIDE: A 6 Step Behavior Change Methodology that Works!
