Being Significant

What does it mean to be "significant" in life?

We so often worry about whether or not we are making an actual difference in the world, and I have often heard people say their contribution is "not significant," perhaps because they are not famous, or they don't have a number of educational initials after their name so their opinion "doesn't matter."

But how can we really know?

I remember having a conversation with an elderly gentleman — a friend of my stepfathers — back when I was a teenager, and he shared his belief that if he somehow changed the life of even one person for the better, then he had contributed something "significant."

I think we have a tendency to believe that unless we contribute something major — like the cure for cancer — input is not really valuable or significant.

However, holding such a belief can actually serve as a sort of block that prevents us from taking action and contributing what we can offer. And that would be a shame!

What I have learned over the years is that the biggest thing we must learn is how to have courage; in order to step up and share whatever it is we know — whatever skill we might posess — even if we feel like it is not that "significant."

I learned it firsthand back in the late 1990s when one of my mentors encouraged ("pushed," actually!) me to teach a segment of one of their self-development workshops.

I had completely convinced myself that I didn't have anything "worthwhile" to share... but I got up in front of the group and did my bit... and much to my surprise, it turned out that I actually "touched" something in several of the other attendees; perspectives that they had not heard before and that give them new insights.

Even so, it remained hard for me to consider myself as "significant" in any way... perhaps a hangover from a childhood in which it had been very clear that "children may be SEEN, but should not be HEARD."

Now that I am older, I can only suggest that we give ourselves a bit of grace and allow the fact that we are simply sharing authentic experiences count as being significant. My blog here may be relatively meaningless in the greater scheme of things... but if even a handful of people learn something — or are entertained, or educated — from my words, then I shall count that as "significant."

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great Friday!

How about YOU? Have you ever wondered whether what you do in life is "significant?" What do you think makes a contribution "significant?" Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2026.09.11 02:12 PDT
x1110/2344