Fulfill Your Dreams

Fulfill Your Dreams
Only You Can Change Your Life

Monday, February 25, 2013

Guest Blogger: Janet Harllee on Making a Difference, Your Way

Today, I welcome Janet Harllee, storyteller and entertainer, to share with you "Making a Difference, Your Way." Read on as she shares how you can make a difference, starting today. -Jean

St. Mother Teresa, Walter Cronkite, the 9/11 Heroes, Pat Tillman, Billy Graham, and all the
men and women who have served and who are currently serving our country.  The list can go
on and on of well-known people who have made a difference.  But you do not need to be well-
known or famous to make a difference. 

Recently, I spoke with several individuals and asked them who made a difference in their life
that has affected them.  Here are some of their comments…
  “My grandmother had a hard life.  She passed on to me that you have to work for what you really want.”
“I learned more about life from my aunt.  She was legally blind and deaf, but was always positive and felt blessed even with her challenges.”
“It’s friends who are always there when I need them.  Their life example is a blessing to me.”
“The way my supervisor did her work as a nurse, and how she encouraged her staff helped me to be a better supervisor.” 
“It was my 5th grade teacher who told me that I should buckle down and work hard, and since I did not receive encouragement at home, what she said has always stayed with me.”
“My Mother told me to leave a place better than you found it, whether it’s cleaning a room, or talking with a person.  That has stuck with me and applies to anything I do.”

Robert Frost is quoted saying, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I…I took the one less
traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

Look through a different lens today.  Take notice of people and the opportunities of how
you can help them.  It is the little things in life that make the biggest difference.   A friend of
mine told me she went to her bank the other day.  A lady stopped her and said, “Thank you for
smiling.”  My friend spoke to the lady and found out that she lives alone, and was quite touched
that someone took the time to smile at her.   Let someone go in front of you at the grocery
store check-out, or wave a driver to turn in front of you. I know you are in the right, but you just
might be changing someone’s outlook for the day.

Working with seniors on a daily basis, I see how making a difference is in the simple things
like, a smile, or taking the time to sit down and listen to them.  It makes them feel special – and
they really are.  When you do something for someone else, it makes you feel better too. 

In today’s world of cell phones, texting, and computers, I hope we never get so impersonal
that we forget to make a difference in our home, our community, our church, our country. 

Readers, I hope you've enjoyed Janet's words of wisdom today! Be sure to check out her website at www.JanetHarllee.net. You'll be glad you did! -Jean

(Thanks, Janet, for sharing with us!)




No comments: