To ask you what difference you've made to the world?

[Tinytomato2]

Been watching 'It's a wonderful life' and have been inevitably wondering if the lives of my families and friends would be any different if I had never existed. It's really hard to imagine but it makes you think about the impact you've had in your life. If it's not too much naval gazing for a Thursday night - what impact - big or small - do you think or hope you have had on those around you?

These posts are really inspirational thank you all for replying.

Became a paramedic and saved the odd life but also spent a lot of time talking to lonely people, hopefully making them feel valued.

I pick up a lot of litter.

Gathered evidence over a 3 year period to help change the law, the change is not quite as far as hoped but another round will get it there.

I vowed a few years ago to try to make someone smile every day. I think I've achieved that for years now that I think about it.

My family wouldn’t notice if I dropped dead and I don’t do anything that would make a difference

Donated blood for neonatal use and helped hundreds of babies despite not being able to have one of my own.

Been a good friend

Created an environmental improvement organisation.
Worked in environmental protection.
Became a teacher, then a science inspirer.
Brownie leader

Several significant 1st aid incidents dealt with successfully by me or young people I've trained.

And two amazing teen DCs!

Been a good wife, mother and friend,
Worked in a cancer research lab, now im enjoying being a grandmother and passing off my life experiences to them .

I lied in a police interview and a bank robber got put away because of it.

That sounds really bad but it wasn't I don't think. I witnessed a bank robbery and could describe the robber in a lot of detail, particularly what he was wearing. From my description they said they knew who it was and asked if I thought I'd be able to pick him out of a line up. I said yes and they said fantastic that means I won't have to as once the bloke knows he can be identified he'll confess. Which he did. Thing is, I suffer from prosopagnosia and would struggle to identify my own mother in a line up.

My child is alive. My child who was born with a condition which leads to chronic pain and depression, my child who tried to die when she was a teenager because she did not think she would be able to cope, my child who is now up and fighting and enjoying life and knows her own strength- I gave her the tools. She is alive and I genuinely, honestly believe that is my doing. I made her believe she can walk on water- and she does.

I've helped a lot of troubled kids cope better with life, and in doing so, helped and supported their parents too.

Now I support extremely vulnerable women. It's no hardship or effort for me to visit them. I positively enjoy it - but it seems to make a disproportionate amount of difference to their lives

I help people (strangers- not friends) find jobs. For free. As a weird sort of hobby.

I like to think I’m a good support to some friends who’ve been through the wringer over the years.

As part of my job (l hope) I give people that lovely “ahhh” sigh of relief when they come home and see their sparkly clean house every week.

Long time ago - I taught a woman skills which enabled her to earn money and leave her very abusive partner. I never saw her again, but heard on the grapevine sometime after that she was safe and happy.

Also - again, a long time ago - reported a step dad for striking his 2 year old SD - I saw him do it. He hit the child so hard it flew several feet. I was almost sick.
I reported the bastard who was arrested, charged, eventually imprisoned.

I try to give really meaningful compliments to people. Someone once gave me one and in a strange way, it changed my life by turning around about how I think of myself. Things snowballed from there. I have since met the most wonderful man, married him, and adopted two beautiful, clever children with him. I’m not the parent I imagined I would be though (much tougher job than I thought), but they call for me, they come to me when they are hurt and upset and sometimes only I will do...so I must be ok.

Forgot to say - as I was so mad at remembering the SD - that the child had a bruised face but other wise ok.

Loathe and detest abusive people.

Raising a child. Taught many children to read and some to fall in love with reading. Reunited a dying father with his missing son. Prevented an rta by catching a runaway pony! Been a constant friend to bees and a few rescue cats and rescued many worms out of puddles and spiders out of sinks.

I teach staff working in social care. I hope I ve had an impact on raising the quality of care in the sector albeit in a small way! I have also helped adults get qualifications which have increased their confidence in work and in life in general (the care quals include maths and English which a lot of people didnt get at school and are terrified of) and have seen many people over the years go from care assistant jobs to professional qualifications and careers in nursing, social work and management and I like to think I ve helped with this through supporting them through the qualifications.
I also have two amazing DC who are kind and funny and thoughtful but I think that's more luck than supreme parenting skills! ! I hope they will make a difference to the world in their chosen fields as they grow up.

Not done anything noteworthy so have decided to donate my brain for medical research. Feel validated now.

Helped to keep hundreds of preterm and sick babies alive. Made parent experiences positive by helping them have first cuddles with their baby,or making memories for the final cuddle with their baby,or holding a baby taking its last breath as their parents found it too hard to be there. I hope I've made a small difference to a few families...

I was there every week for my mum after my dad died, for 14 years, while my siblings visited once a year. I was her only family and we both knew it.
Also great mum to my kids and good companion to dh.

I have been a school Governor for 30 years. I helped to turn around a school they wanted to close as it had been in Special Measures for the longest time in the UK when I was invited to be the Chair. It is now outstanding and the children there have secure staffing and a great learning environment.

I actually wonder this frequently. I have dcs and that's about the only difference I have made in the world. As a child my family didn't do extra curricular activities or the like so it's not natural to me.I exist but I don't really live.......

succeeded in making it worse