How To Make a Difference: In People's Lives, The Community, & The World

By Justine Saavedra, M.S.
Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.

Figure out if you are making a difference. Discover strategies and resources to make a positive impact.

How To Make a Difference: In People's Lives, The Community, & The World

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Do you find yourself wondering if you are making a difference in the world? Are you still trying to figure out what making a difference really means? You are not alone in asking these questions. Most people want to feel like they are leaving a positive impact on the world around them. Keep reading to learn what making a difference really means and how you can start actively making a difference for the things you care about the most.

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What Does It Mean To Make a Difference? (A Definition)

Making a difference refers to the impact that your actions have on the world around you. While sometimes your actions have a negative impact, making a difference refers to the positive ways that you affect the world. Some examples of making a difference are listed below.

Smaller examples of making a difference:

Volunteering time at the local library
Cleaning up trash in your community
Being kind to other people
Donating blood

Larger examples of making a difference:

Adopting a child
Community leadership
Donating large sums of money
Careers devoted to the health and safety of others, such as first responders and soldiers

Large or small, your actions have a direct impact on the world around you and you can decide what that impact will be.

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Why Is Making a Difference Important?

Making a difference is important because it is how you can create the positive change you want to see in the world. Having well-intentioned goals is a component of being a happier person (Headey, 2007). Setting goals that have the intention of positively impacting things you find most important could help increase your happiness. Your goal could be anything from volunteering 10 hours a week to improving your relationship with your family; there are countless ways that you can make a positive impact.

Making a Difference in People's Lives

Our behavior and actions have a direct impact on those around us. Even if you can’t see the results directly, choosing to be kind over being rude will likely have a positive effect on the people you interact with and your own psychological health. Just try and think about how you feel after someone is kind vs. when someone is insulting.

A 2020 study even found that providing help to someone created psychological benefits for the helpers (Hui et al., 2020). That means that making a positive difference tends to be good for both the helper and receiver.

Making a Difference in Your Community

Your community is the people, places, and things that you interact with on a regular basis. This can include your family, your place of worship, your local community center, and even the grocery store that you shop at. In order for a community to run smoothly, it’s important that all members respect each other and contribute as they are able to.

Try not to underestimate the impact of your behavior on the overall well-being of your community. Setting a good example of the type of citizen you would like to see can influence others to make good choices as well.

Becoming a volunteer firefighter is a major way that you can make a difference within your community. A short video about one woman’s experience becoming a volunteer firefighter can be found below.

Video: Make a Difference in Your Community

If fighting fires isn’t your cup of tea, there are many other ways to make a difference within your community.

Examples of ways people contribute to their communities:

Picking up trash
Shoveling snow on sidewalks
Respecting other’s space and property
Volunteering for other local organizations such as animal shelters or libraries

As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” This applies to your local world and your broader world.

Making a Difference in the World

You can make a positive difference in the world just by trying to be more kind and giving back to your community–these actions have a positive ripple effect that can extend far beyond just those around you. However, if you have national or global issues that you are passionate about, you can donate your time or money to organizations representing that cause. For example, I have participated in Alzheimer’s Association fundraisers because my own grandmother has dementia. If you would like to check if a charity or organization is reputable, Charity Navigator is a great resource.

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Make a Difference by Volunteering

Have you ever volunteered? If not, it’s a great way to actually make a difference for something important to you. Volunteering has been shown to improve your psychological well-being (Piliavin & Siegl, 2007), which means you could experience benefits while also making a difference.

There are countless organizations and causes that you can donate your time to. Take some time to think about what you might enjoy lending a hand to. Do you like working outside or with animals? Are you good at working with kids or older adults? Finding a cause that is meaningful to you means you will be motivated to do your best. Some areas you could try volunteering in are listed below.

Areas you can volunteer in:

Animal Rescue
Food bank
Hospital
Veterans Center
Outdoor spaces

I volunteered at my local animal humane society walking dogs for a few years, and I have also volunteered with the Veterans Administration Hospital and the Special Olympics. Each of these experiences provided me with valuable lessons I still carry to this day. If you are not sure where to start, Volunteer Match is a website that can help you find local non-profit volunteer opportunities. Any organization you choose would be lucky to have your time and support

Jobs That Make a Difference

There are many careers that can be considered to be “in service” of others. These types of jobs are critical to providing aid, in one way or another, to the community around them. These people have a direct impact on individual members of their community and society at large. Without them, the world would not be able to function as it currently does.

Careers that make a difference:

Firefighter
Teacher
Nurse
Paramedic
Social Worker
Local service personnel (plumbers, electricians, etc.)

Do you feel like you make a difference for others at your job? If not, you can have a positive impact just by treating your co-workers and/or customers with kindness and respect.

Making a Difference as a Leader

Being in a position of leadership can be a great responsibility because your actions can shape the trajectory of someone’s career or life. Therefore you are almost always making a difference as a leader– either positive or negative. A 2012 study found that positive leadership predicted enhanced employee well-being and positive emotional feelings (Kelloway et al., 2012). The video below talks about the difference between simply managing employees and being a leader.

Video: What it Means to Make a Difference

Even if you are not currently in a position of leadership at your job, you are likely in a position of leadership elsewhere. This includes everything from being a parent or older sibling to being an example for your community.

Are You Making a Difference?

This is a question most of us have asked many times in our lives. There are many ways to make a difference in the world, both large and small. If you are not sure if you are making a difference, ask yourself some of the questions below:

Are you kind to other people on a daily basis?
Do you try to be helpful in an effort to make others’ lives and jobs easier?
Are you raising your child to be the type of person you want to see in the world?
Does your job involve directly, or indirectly, providing care or service to others?
Do you spend time volunteering for causes that are important to you?

The questions above are not the only ways that you can make a difference, so try not to worry if you answered ‘no’ to most of them. If you feel like you want to make more of an impact on the world, learn how in the next section of this article.

How to Make a Difference

Do you feel like you want to make more of a difference? Keep reading to learn how you can leave your mark on the world.

Spend some time thinking about the things you care about the most. Are you raising children? Does a family member have a disability or disease you can advocate for? Are you passionate about rescuing animals or cleaning up forests? It’s much easier to put effort towards things that you care about.
Evaluate the places in your life where you are already making a difference. Even if you don’t realize it, there are likely many areas of your life where you are already making a difference. Maybe you set a good example of regulating your emotions for your child. Maybe you have a co-worker who strives to follow in your footsteps. Perhaps you rescued an animal from being run over on a busy street. All of these small actions can have a positive outward ripple effect.
Decide where—and if—you could devote more time and energy. Sometimes our plates are full and there simply isn’t any extra time or energy to take on extra responsibilities. Even if you don’t have the time to commit to volunteering, putting more kindness into everyday interactions or learning to be more selfless is a small gesture that makes a big difference.
Take action. The only way to actually make a difference is to take action. This action does not have to be huge, like changing career paths (though some people do make that decision). The action can be signing up to volunteer once a month, learning and implementing strategies to be a better leader or parent, or even just being deliberately kind to other people.

Quotes on Making a Difference

We all need a little encouragement now and then. Keep these quotes handy for the times you need extra inspiration to make a difference in the world around you.

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ― Jane Goodall
“There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.” ― Mandy Hale
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
“We can talk about making a difference or we can make a difference.” ― Anonymous
“I think there’s no higher calling in terms of a career than public service, which is a chance to make a difference in people’s lives and improve the world.” ― Jack Lew
“I choose bold. I choose action. I choose what’s right for the people. I choose to make a difference.” ― Bill Richardson
“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” ― Barbara De Angelis

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Final Thoughts on Making a Difference

We are all capable of making a positive difference; for those around us, for our community, and for the world as a whole. Making a difference is important because it is how we create the positive change we want to see in the world. If you feel like you want to create more of an impact, think about what you care about most, evaluate where you are already making a difference, where you could improve, and take action. Try not to underestimate the power of being kind and respectful in making a difference in this world–your behavior and actions can ripple out to inspire kindness in others.

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References

Headey, B. (2007). Life goals matter to happiness: A revision of set-point theory. Social Indicators Research, 86(2), 213–231.
Hui, B. P., Ng, J. C., Berzaghi, E., Cunningham-Amos, L. A., & Kogan, A. (2020). Rewards of kindness? A meta-analysis of the link between prosociality and well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 146(12), 1084–1116.
Kelloway, E. K., Weigand, H., McKee, M. C., & Das, H. (2012). Positive leadership and employee well-being. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 20(1), 107–117.
Piliavin, J. A., & Siegl, E. (2007). Health benefits of volunteering in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 48(4), 450–464.