You Don’t Need To Be Famous
When you think about being famous, do you imagine the adoring fans, wealth, power, and influence, or do you imagine being hounded by the paparazzi, losing all your privacy, and the stress of always having to look your best? For me, I don’t want to be famous. I DO want to make a difference.
I’m always happy if someone recognizes me and says hello, but I would never want to be someone that EVERYONE recognizes. I enjoy getting lost in the crowd at a theme park (in normal times) or enjoying a quiet evening with friends without interruption.
Our culture teaches us to want to be famous. Many want to have power, wealth, or influence, or the ego stroke of adulation. We may want to be a movie star, or an “influencer” online. These all seem nice, but they are not needed to MAKE AN IMPACT on the world.
If you think you need to be rich and famous to make a big impact on the world, I’m here to tell you otherwise. A life well-lived, full of kindness and purpose, influences everyone! Like a ripple in the water, one good deed travels out and impacts many.
There was a terrific commercial recently which illustrated this point. One act of kindness inspired others to do likewise, rippling good deeds and kindness throughout a city block. We can all make that same kind of impact in our own lives.
Raising children with character and an understanding of how to treat others is a huge gift to the world. Many of us are teachers, and the impact we have on our students will often last a lifetime. We can’t always know the impact we’re having in a student’s life, but I promise it is likely much more than you know.
Share encouragement and kindness when possible. Have empathy and grace as we all struggle through this particular moment in time. Be a light in the darkness. This is how you change the world!
You don’t need fame or fortune to make the world a much better place. Start in your back yard, in your own family, on your own social media account. You are strong, you are powerful, and you are the change the world needs.
Tim Hinton
January 21, 2021
