Opportunities to Make a Difference
A year of abundance! In numerology 2024 is an eight year which is associated with abundance, success and karmic lessons. Reflecting on this as the new year begins and 2023 ends, I decided to make a list of 52 ways that I could focus on abundance throughout 2024. This gives me a new focus each week and a mindful way to approach abundance through the entire year. Each week, I will write about and reflect on each of the 52 ways I can focus on abundance in my life and share it. I hope that my reflections help empower you to see the abundance in your lives as well.
Over the years, I have read a lot about the law of attraction and how our thoughts become things and what we put out to the world and focus on comes back to us. So this year, I have decided to make a conscious choice to focus on abundance throughout the year and see how my life shifts as I consciously decide to spend time being aware of and grateful for the abundance that is already in my life. Also, to learn more about the law of assumption which is about living in the belief that what you want has already happened for you.
For week one, my abundance theme of the week is, “Opportunities to Make a Difference.” I am starting with this focus because of a note one of my students wrote for me in a notebook they gave me for Christmas. It said:
“Dear Ms. Cottrell,
Without you I don’t know where I would be. You make a major difference in my life. All those times you go the extra mile to help so many kids. I think everyone can clearly see that you are the best teacher ever. Merry Christmas”
This came from a student that I thought did not like me at all. I had no idea I was making such an impact on them or that I was making any impact at all.
It also really hit home because this fall was very chaotic for me in my home life and I had been feeling as though I had not been as present as I should be at work with the kids (I am a teacher). This made me think of the fact that we have an abundance of opportunities to make a difference.
Oftentimes, we are unaware of the fact that we are making a difference at all. Or when we feel like the impact that we are making is minimal it may actually be the exact opposite. You may be making a world of difference to one person and not even know it unless they say something to you (or write something to you, like what happened to me).
I challenge you to spend sometime this week focusing on the theme of, “Opportunities to make a difference.” Who has made a difference in your life? Have you ever told them how much you appreciate the difference they made for you? Has anyone ever thanked you for making a difference in their lives? Sometimes all someone needs is a random act of kindness and it changes their entire day, week or even life.
There truly are an abundance of opportunities to make a difference and I know for myself there have been an abundance of people who have made a positive impact on my life through simple acts that made such a difference. I will never forget running into a friend leaving the yoga studio one day when my divorce was at one of the darkest points and she gave me so much hope because she shared her growth and transformation from leaving a similar situation. Then she brought me over a pile of books that helped her through her mess that in turn helped me immensely as well. Making an impact does not need to be a huge undertaking, it can be as simple as sharing a book that changed your life or holding space for someone by being a trusted ear to listen. When you really look there are infinite opportunities to make a difference just start to look!
