Chopping off 10 inches of hair isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. For me, it’s simply the first real haircut I’ve had since sixth grade. But for someone else, hopefully it means a lot.

When I donated my hair after winter break, I didn’t save the world — not even close. Nevertheless, my efforts aren’t for nothing. For the brave person battling cancer who gets my hair, my hope is that their day brightens at least a little bit.

Mahatma Gandhi said to be the change we wish to see in the world. While I agree with his core message of “being the change,” he loses me when he alludes to the necessity of it being visible.

Too often we get caught up in the idea that making a difference is only possible through extravagant efforts and large-scale campaigns. We tend to think the only change that counts is the change that solves global issues and makes headlines.

Unfortunately, this mindset can discourage people trying to do good in the world. If we believe we have to be the next Bill Gates or Ellen Degeneres to influence change, we probably think our efforts as high school students don’t mean much.

I don’t think that’s the case, however. We don’t have to individually end world hunger or climate change. We don’t have to be the change we wish to see — we simply have to be the change.

Never tell yourself what you have to give isn’t enough, because it is. Donating my hair won’t cure anyone of cancer or save any lives. But, if it can lift someone’s spirits even the smallest amount, that’s what counts. Even the tiniest gestures can change everything.

There’s a Jewish teaching that if you save one person’s life, it is as if you have saved the entire world. Saving a life doesn’t just mean keeping someone from dying. It means doing what you can every day to give to others.

Whether it be smiling at someone in the hallway, eating lunch with someone sitting alone or donating whatever you can to a charity you believe in, you are saving someone’s life by making it a bit brighter.

Don’t judge your impact solely on its visible change. If the world is a little better every day because of something you did for someone else, you can rest assured you have done your duty — even if no one is around to see it.