With August bank holiday behind us now, September heralds in new resolve for everyone. It’s a fantastic month for energy and light as the last of the summer glow makes way for crispness and clarity of thought and feeling. And that leads to renewal. So our seventh happiness habit focus on just that – how do you resolve, in each new day, to make a difference?

Making a difference can mean honouring a commitment to having a huge impact on society and the world, a YES WE CAN message of hope that carries a presidential campaign. More often it is the quieter differences that impact on us most profoundly. St Therese of Liseaux was known as “the saint of little ways” because she espoused the idea of doing the little things well and with love.  The impact of her message is just as great, as you and I realise that no matter what failures, disappointments, frustrations, setbacks and hold ups we have experienced in the past, we can change the course of our lives slowly and surely by taking action to make a difference.

And we start by making a difference to ourselves and our happiness. From that foundation we can build our legacy and our contribution to the world, whether that is in our families, our communities or our workplaces.

You matter. The world would be a poorer, darker place without your light. I know that you may spend a lot of time focusing on how you can be better, avoid this mistake, or stop dropping that ball. In doing so you risk taking away your power. This week I ask you to focus instead on what difference you have made and be proud that you were there to make it. The tiniest little reaching out, or use of your talent, or speaking your truth with compassion – all of these things are like the butterfly in the rain forest of your world. Wings flutter and before you know it mountains have moved as you cause a positive chain reaction.

At the weekend I watched the film Pay It Forward and marvelled again at its central message. Even the young creator of that simple idea thought it had been a failure. Couldn’t see, because he was so close, the ripple effect that had been created in the world, that flowed with more love as a result.

So to build this habit, I ask you to stop what you are doing every couple of hours and ask yourself these two questions:

• How have I made a positive difference to myself and to others in the last two hours?

• How do I want to grow from that now?