By Angela Maiers
You Matter Manifesto
The YOU MATTER Manifesto is a call to action. It challenges you to acknowledge and use the gifts that you have been blessed with. Mattering is a process, not an event. It’s a new way of life. Knowing that we matter is essential to our existence.
As you read this Manifesto, acknowledge your significance and that….
1. YOU ARE ENOUGH!
Do you know what it takes to make a difference in this world? You don’t have to be rich or famous. No special knowledge or skills are needed. Whether you are young or old or in-between, you matter.
2. YOU HAVE INFLUENCE
To acknowledge that you can change the world is overwhelming. Yet all of us have the ability to begin changing the world by contributing our genius to solve the world’s problems.
3. YOU ARE A GENIUS.
Author Seth Godin defines genius as the act of solving a problem in a way no one has solved it before. You don’t have to win a Nobel Prize or earn a Master’s degree to be a genius. You just have to use your insight and initiative to find original solutions that matter.
4. YOU HAVE A CONTRIBUTION TO MAKE.
“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love” – Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Your mere presence can bring a smile to someone’s face. Your poetry can lift someone out of a slump. Your passion can lead you to create something magnificent. The size of the contribution is not what matters most. What counts is how much of your heart you put into it.
5. YOU HAVE A GIFT TO GIVE, THAT OTHERS NEED
“Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)
Happiness and love are the two greatest gifts you can give to the world.
Too often, we indulge our own gratifications and forget there are people in this world that we can make feel loved, or appreciated, or even noticed. These are gifts anyone can give.
READ: People Know They Matter When…
6. YOU ARE THE CHANGE.
It is in the small encounters with others that we recognize that we matter, that our presence is important. A shared smile, an unexpected kindness, leaving each encounter with something positive.
It is in these small moments we find opportunity to make the choice to matter. In doing so, we make the world a better place.
7. YOUR ACTIONS DEFINE YOUR IMPACT.
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before beginning to improve the world.”- Anne Frank
Action is the world’s greatest currency. There is no better day than today to start to make a difference to the world. You don’t need to wait till you have the time; you don’t have to wait till you make more money; you don’t have to wait one second to let someone know they matter.
Start with these two words, and you will know how much that little effort counts today.
8. YOU MATTER!
To matter means to be of consequence or importance to others.
It means you are significant, relevant, worthy of note and of crucial value. The world may not always affirm this, and may not adequately communicate the importance of your presence in their lives.
But that doesn’t mean that what you do and who you are doesn’t have a profound impact on the world. It does. The world would be a very different place – a lesser place – without you.
Let’s make our time together matter! This is only the beginning!
******
Read about SMART Tech's commitment to sharing this Manifesto.
Ready to bring You Matter to your school? Take our Choose2Matter online course.
It will change how you view your students, and yourself, and what you can accomplish.