The place you’re in needs you today.

How important are you? More than you think.

Nothing of any consequence happens in this world unless someone like you decides to make it happen. And rarely do any of us act entirely on our own; we act in concert. Just as Rogers needed Hammerstein, you need someone, and someone needs you.

Look around. Your company or community needs you right now. While some say, “I don’t care, I don’t think, I don’t know, I don’t count,” others always bring their heart to work or show up on Saturday mornings to volunteer. They can’t do it all, but they change and contribute what they can. And by bringing their best to a piece, they make a significant difference in the whole.

“How we perform as individuals,” wrote Harry Gray, “is how we perform as a nation.” It’s true. Great things are actually just a series of small things brought together. Every company, community, project or movement is really just the sum of its parts. Deciding to be a great part is a choice we all get to make every day. And the sum total of those choices ultimately comprises the meaning and significance of our lives—and the difference we make in the world.

The place you’re in needs you today. No one else can contribute your unique combination of talents, energy, insights and ideas. What you do does make a difference. You’re in control of your little corner of the world. Brighten it. You can.

An excerpt from “Be the Difference” by Dan Zadra, published by Compendium, Inc., Seattle, WA.