“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” It’s one of those easily memorable, effective, hanging-on-a-coffee-shop-wall quotes, that has become so ubiquitous that a google search for its author returns multiple results.

Its appeal, no doubt, is in the inarguable validity of its message. Yet its own introductory phrase – in a world where you can be anything – is what, to me, seems to carry additional weight at a time when hobbies can turn into side hustles, and leaving your mark is only an Instagram account or Etsy shop away.  

On so many levels, it’s easier than ever to have an impact. That truth is potent. Beautiful. And it can also be intoxicating when applied to the notion of spreading kindness, to believe that more can only be better.

And “more,” in this sense, often embodies multiple forms: doing more, reaching more, creating more, fueled by our own internal missions.

But what if the return on our efforts is not directly proportionate to how big they are? What if you could have a bigger impact by baking cookies for your one friend in need as opposed to the whole school?

See, from where I stand, in our world where we can be anything, we’ve lost scope of the power of playing it small. Of being so fully present to positively touch one life, which then, in turn, will feel compelled to touch one more.

We volunteer for multiple organizations. Take our hard-earned money and spread it out among various charities. We over commit ourselves – with nothing but good intentions – to causes and obligations, only to show up with a half-full tank, essentially only guaranteeing a diminished effect.

Then, on the other side of the camp, in this world where we can be anything, it’s also all too easy to adopt a “why bother?” approach. To believe that you can’t make a dent in whatever cause speaks to you unless you’re mass producing results.

Neither of these mindsets serves us. But moreover, they really don’t serve the people who need us the most.

Which is why, for me, I’ve decided that the measurement of the impact has to do with how it lives on.

So next time you feel compelled to make a difference (and boy, do I hope you do), ask yourself how – with just one person, one organization, one cause – you can knock it out of the park.

And meanwhile, while I won’t be starting an Etsy shop anytime soon, know that if I did, it would be filled with tried-and-true notes to self.

Including one we just stumbled upon together:

“In a world where you can be anything, play it small.”