At the beginning of a new year, we often feel inspired to leave behind our old selves and create improved versions of who we are: more virtuous, better informed, healthier, and more financially secure. We set resolutions to support these goals. Yet beneath all of them lies a deeper and more important question: Why am I here, and how can my life make a difference?
If we make this question the guiding focus of 2026, we will become more intentional about strengthening not only our own well-being, but the well-being of others as well.
We are all inherently good with our own special uniqueness; none of us is a duplicate of any other. So, when we evaluate our gifts, talents and proficiencies we can identify what special qualities we possess to enhance our self-image but also profoundly enrich the society in which we live. Each of us has been entrusted with something meant to give to others, and when we choose to offer it, lives are touched in ways we may never fully see.
But this is often where resolutions, decisions, and good intentions begin to falter: do we truly want to say “yes” to the invitation that asks us to grow, to act, and to serve both ourselves and others?
The hesitation we feel when adopting a new attitude or stepping into something that benefits us and those around us is not a failure of will. It is a very human response, and it is something nearly all of us experience because it requires change and this is never easy. It’s frightening for its unfamiliarity and the risks and the commitments involved. Staying the same can be very comfortable, secure and easy but it will never provide us with a life that is both fulfilling and purposeful.
Your Gifts Are Meant to be Shared
All too often I hear from people who long for a deeper purpose in their lives, one that has meaning and substance. They feel their lives are lacking something that inspires them. They feel empty and confused about their life’s direction and what they can do to escape the pointless routine they find themselves within.
Disappointingly, they try countless paths in search of fulfillment, only to discover that these efforts offered distraction rather than true substance. Regrettably, many choose short term solutions to their situations, feeling further constrained by their choices that only create another cage they have self-constructed.
What they are seeking is already within them, a purpose meant to be set free. When we release our gifts and talents to share with others, we open ourselves to reshaping the world and the people around us in positive ways.
Take a moment to consider what happens when we intentionally recognize and affirm the gifts we see in others—their qualities, efforts, or skills we genuinely admire. When we choose to express that appreciation, we often invite the same spirit in return. This simple exchange of encouragement has the power to deepen and transform our relationships within our families, in our workplaces, during moments of leisure, and even in brief encounters with strangers whose words or actions deserve to be acknowledged.
We all wish for a world that is kinder, more generous, and more humane. And the truth is, we help shape that world by the way we engage with it. In place of negativity, incivility, and vitriol, we have the power to choose something better. That is why choosing to step into a renewed and reformed self is so full of promise because when we change ourselves, we truly can change the world.
I often share this thought with my closest friends; it goes like this:
Until you decide to be the person you truly are, those looking for you will never find you.
So, the question is, who are you? I am confident you are far more than your doubts and insecurities. You have so much more to offer than you think. You have something only you can give and that is yourself, yes, with all your weaknesses and flaws, which can be a means to comfort others who are struggling. The smallest act for the benefit of making the world a better to place resides in each of us.
There’s a story I love to share that shows just how simple it can be to make a difference.
After a storm, an elderly man was walking along a Florida beach littered with shells, debris, and stranded starfish. In the distance, he noticed a boy repeatedly bending down, picking up starfish, and tossing them back into the ocean.
Finally, the man shouted to him, “young man, what are you doing?” He responded, “sir I’m trying to save these starfish.” To which he said, “boy, what difference can you make? There’s only one of you and hundreds of starfish?” The boy stopped, looked at the man and then at the starfish in his hand, he then threw it back into the sea, saying as he did so, “it will make a difference to that one.”
There are times in our lives when we feel incapacitated by the enormity of a problem; when we doubt the value and difference our efforts might have; when we are afraid of choosing to act or get involved, when we feel overwhelmed by the weight of our struggles. These are the moments when we are faced with a choice, can my life make a difference or not? Do I have what it takes?
You have the ability to bring about meaningful change just by having the courage to be yourself and choosing to live a purpose that is meant to be shared with others. In the end, that power belongs to you alone.
5 Steps to Bringing Meaningful Change to the World
Step 1: Begin with prayer:
A Prayer for Purpose
Loving God,
quiet my heart so I may hear the truth of who I am meant to be.
Help me uncover the gifts you have placed within me
and give me the courage to live them openly and honestly.
Teach me to see my purpose not as something to keep for myself,
but as something meant to be shared
in kindness, in service, and in love.
Guide my choices, shape my path,
and use my life to bring hope, healing,
and meaningful change to the world around me.
Amen.
Step 2: Choose Authenticity
Have the courage to be who you truly are, not who others expect you to be.
Step 3: Share Your Gifts Freely
Your skills, talents, and experiences are not meant to be hidden. Offer them generously.
Step 4: Practice Compassion Daily
Small acts of kindness, patience, and empathy ripple outward.
Step 5: Commit to Small Actions
You don’t need to change everything, just something. One person helped, one truth spoken, one good choice made each day adds up.