“It is in  
our hands  
to make a  
difference.”  
Nelson Mandela

Finding meaning in life often comes from recognizing our impact on others. Throughout my professional career, I found meaning in the work I did as an educator. I honestly believe that, despite my imperfections, I made a positive impact on the lives of most of my students. 

It’s not enough to simply live. Nelson Mandela pointed this out when he said, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

Making a difference is not just the purpose of our work. It is the purpose of our lives. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The purpose of life is to be useful… to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

Finding meaning in one’s life can be a bit more challenging during the retirement years. No longer do we have the measuring stick of our jobs to validate that we are somehow contributing to the world in which we live. Surely, there must be other ways we can do this. Thankfully, there are.

The challenge begins with the question of what kind of difference we want to make,… and to whom? Jane Goodall told us, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Bingo! Yes, what we do does make a difference, but is that difference positive or negative? 

In his bestselling book, Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom shares a pearl of wisdom he learned from his former college professor, Morrie Schwartz: “So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”

I’ve been retired for a little more than eleven years now. In those years, I have continued to write articles for this blog. I have written and published seven books. As a result of the books, I have received invitations to speak on the topic of gratitude at schools, libraries, churches, retirement communities, and a Young Authors Book Festival. I’ve facilitated two retreats, one for nurses at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, the other for the faculty and staff of Saint Leo the Great School in San José. And I was invited to be the keynote speaker for the YMCA Youth Development Leadership Conference in Morgan Hill. 

More importantly, I have made a conscientious effort to nurture the relationships in my life — with family, friends, neighbors, and people I’ve recently met. In this way, I know that despite my stage in life, I am committed to making a positive difference in the lives of others. The sense of meaning this provides for me is incalculable.

News anchor Tom Brokaw summed it up succinctly when he said, “To make a buck is easy. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.”