With the recent inauguration of President Obama, we are again reminded ad infinitum, ad nauseum of the political rifts that divide this country and, by extension, threaten the world's health and safety. The new president campaigned on change we can believe in, but I believe the change that is required to right the wrongs and put this country back on track require more than politicking and vitriolic exchanges on Internet message boards.

If any of you have seen the movie, Butterfly Effect, which starred Ashton Kutcher as a young man who learned about changing the future by getting to redo past decisions, you will understand the premise of Chaos Theory. Basically, a butterfly beating its wings in flight in the Amazonian rain forest will set off a chain of events that will result in tornadoes in the United States. (Not that I support attacking butterflies as a precaution, mind you.)

Taken to the next level, every action--good or bad--that we do here on this planet has an energy effect that ripples throughout the Universe and attracts more of the same energy back via the Law of Attraction. It isn't just what we will have revisited upon ourselves based on what we put out there, there is a net effect on the rest of the world, too.

What we need to consider in our daily lives is how our daily actions in thought and deed are going to have an effect beyond ourselves. Yes, we may have had a frustrating day at work, but if we go and take it out on someone in some violent way, we are setting off a chain of events that can only create more violence.

The good news is each of us has the power to create a real tangible difference for the world. It doesn't even require signing up for anything or paying membership dues for a special club. All you need to do is start making different, good decisions in your life today, right now. It doesn't matter what decisions you made yesterday or even a week ago. This moment right here is the only one you can actually control, so make a good decision.

Hatred and judgment have a devastating effect on our planet, which is why it seems like we are accelerating our own destruction with countless wars, violence spilling out into our streets, and endless talking heads smiling as they recount the tales of horror for a fearful television audience. But, it doesn't have to be that way. If we just make a few small positive changes in our own lives, those will ripple to other people, and those will ripple further, and so on. Soon there will be so much positive energy that the negative energy will be drowned out.

If you ask me "Can one person really make a difference?", my answer is a resounding "yes!"