A few weeks ago, my partner and I were visiting a local park when we noticed empty bottles and trash strewn around the nature observation area.

“Why do people do that?” he grumbled.

It got me wondering. 

What would I have to believe to toss my trash around like that?

It occurred to me:

If it seemed true that I didn’t make a difference, I would probably throw my trash around, too. 

Because after all, what difference does it make?

It’s clear to me that I DO make a difference, so littering isn’t something I do. I’m sure the people who left their trash behind wouldn’t either if they really understood the difference they make.

“You cannot go through a single day without having an impact on the world. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” — Dr. Jane Goodall

Lately, it feels like something in my heart has thawed. Or what was dormant has awakened.

I’ve always been able to feel and connect with the emotions of the person in front of me, but when it came to the experience of the larger collective, it left me COLD. Even living only a few hours outside New York City after 9/11, I was unable to really feel the impact.

But now, tears spring to my eyes after reading a Facebook post or watching a movie. I can feel how much unnecessary suffering people innocently cause themselves, and it physically hurts my heart.

I’ve been ignoring the collective suffering because in some way it looked true that:

I could never make a difference with anything THAT big. There’s no way I could have an impact on THAT problem.

Without realizing it, I’d been denying my full capacity to make a difference, too.

I’ve been in and out of overwhelm this week, feeling an intense desire to do something to relieve this suffering, alternating between overwhelm and confusion over how to move from a place of joy rather than obligation.

What is my role in changing the world? What would I like it to be?

The Game of Creating Change

I’m really good at playing the game of changing the world.

I’ve tricked myself into starting new businesses and projects by turning them into “games” and “experiments.” 

While on the one hand, it’s a wonderful strategy for avoiding the heaviness of “serious” thinking and the burden of “fulling my purpose…” 

On the other hand, I’ve been denying the IMPACT I actually desire in the world.

“Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just playing over here…”

Playing became a way to hide from my desire to really make a difference in the world…and the belief that maybe it just wasn’t possible. For me.

So now, I’m asking myself what it would look like to play AND make an impact. 

What would it be like to play the game of changing the world like my life depends on it — even though I know it doesn’t — and give it everything I’ve got without attachment to the results?

And I’ve begun to wonder…

What happens when you live your life as an experiment in how much of a difference one person can make?

I don’t have the answer to this question. But…

I get to try it and see.

Is It Time to Live Your Purpose?

You’re here to create your life with wild abandon — not by following the rules made up by someone else.

What happens when we set a simple intention and then let it go…

…stepping into the unknown…

…with curiosity and a willingness to see something new?

This is the space of magic, miracles and impossible creation where I love to play.

You’re invited to join me for a journey into inspiration and adventure in life beyond possibilities.

Apply for a free Wild Creation session with me here. No agenda, no pitch, and no limits on what we might create.

This is my gift to you. 🙂

Yours in creative play,

Steph