Everyone Can Make A Difference, Including You! #DifferenceMaker

A few weeks ago I introduced you to the Difference Maker campaign from Clinique with the Lena Dunham podcast, Women Of The Hour.  The podcast delved into the lives of four different women and how, in their lives, towns, countries, fields of work, they are making difference.  Clinique asked me what being a Difference Maker means to me and when thinking more about it I began to see how making a difference doesn’t have to always be about making an earth shattering change in one fell sweep.  Rather, much change, radical or otherwise, has begun by small choices and decisions.

Check out the little video we made:

Growing up I was surrounded in a world of difference.  Unlike anyone in my small suburban town, coming from immigrant parents of very different backgrounds, the feeling of not belonging was my everyday reality.  Things have changed so much in the last twenty years but when I was young, growing up in a very white town, I often times felt very unconnected anywhere outside of my family home.  I didn’t make friends easily or quickly and had a hard time connecting.  It wasn’t until (with the encouragement of my parents) I started to embrace my difference as my strength that I then began to become strong.  I wasn’t going to change what I looked like, my only slight resemblance to my parents; but what I did have is a great sense of how both of my cultures made me who I am.  That my strength wasn’t in abandoning one over the other but rather in loving and embracing both.

As soon as I saw the advantage of having the perspective I had from being raised by two very different cultures I was able to use that strength to do small things, like make friends of all cultures, but also to represent my school in various talks and events on the importance of diversity.  That one change in perspective, turning a perceived weakness into a strength, not only changed my path, but also became part of my mandate in life.  I don’t pretend to not see difference, on the contrary, I seek it out and work hard to find ways to not only tell those stories but also to work with and employ people of all different walks of life.

Gandhi (and Obama) famously said: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”  And whether it’s leading by example and being the best mother you can be, not giving into peer pressure or spearheading a campaign to help end the illegal sex trade, we all have the ability, no matter how big, or small, to affect change in our lives and the lives of others.

I made this video to explain some of my story and I’d love to hear yours.  Share your story here in a comment or on your personal Instagram with a picture letting us know how you are a Difference Maker.  If you do, you’ll be entered to win a monthly supply for a year of crazy amazing Clinique products including their legendary 3 step skincare regime plus the latest and greatest from their beautiful makeup collection.

To enter, post a pic telling us why you or someone you know is a Difference Maker and make sure you include the hashtag #DifferenceMaker and tag both us @cocoandcowe & @cliniquecanada

I really want to hear your stories so please, don’t be shy!

xx,

Coco