The big news this week was that Steve Jobs passed away. After his death, I kept seeing this image on Facebook:

I had a funny reaction to it. I both liked and disliked it. On the one hand, I thought it was a great tribute to a man who, in spite of various obstacles, managed to achieve phenomenal success. Who doesn’t love an underdog success story? I’ve seen Moneyball twice and I’m not even a big baseball fan.

So why did the image bother me? Hmmm…well, I felt like, on some level, it was also saying that there is really only one type of success. And unless you “change the world” on the epic scale that Steve Jobs did, then you haven’t accomplished much. If your efforts haven’t been felt globally, if you aren’t a billionaire, famous and powerful…well, why not, you loser?

In the past two weeks I’ve been to two fundraisers. Last weekend I attended the Wake County SPCA’s annual Fur Ball. This past weekend I attended the AAS-C’s annual Works of Heart Art Auction Against AIDS. The events are put on by teams of underpaid and/or unpaid workers who fight very hard to make the world a better place. At both events, I watched supporters open their hearts and wallets in spite of the recession. None of these people are billionaires. They are not famous or powerful. I know many of them personally and I know they have faced (and continue to face) obstacles every day…and they make a difference. They are changing the world, too.

Do you ever ask yourself, “Am I making a difference?” The answer is yes, you probably are.

Maybe you rescued a furry friend from an animal shelter and gave it home? You made a difference.

Maybe you didn’t get those new shoes you didn’t need so you could buy that Hello Kitty purse your daughter (or your son for that matter) wanted so badly? You made a difference.

Maybe you met a friend after work even though you were dog-tired because you knew they needed someone to talk to? You made a difference.

No, not on the epic scale that Steve Jobs did, and yes he was an amazing man and I’d love to read a biography on him. But the accomplishments that many people make, on a smaller, quieter level, are still hugely valuable. These folks are not “making excuses” even though you may not have heard of them. They haven’t invented something you use every day, but they are still changing the world—at the community level, which can then lead to the state level, then to the national level, and on and on. After all, a hurricane’s formation can be contingent on a butterfly flapping its wings.

Continue reading »