Here is a challenge for you. 

In the last few days of the year, make a difference to one person.

It is easier than you think.

Last week I taught my last Kendo class of 2025. The attendance was sparse, as most of the dojo was already out of town for the break.

By sparse… I mean one student.

You may think that this would be discouraging, but to me, this is fun. I would teach one or twenty people.

At the start of the class, she looked a little down, but I did not say anything.

So we had the class, and I was able to focus on some specifics she was doing wrong instead of having to teach more general concepts like I would when the dojo is full.

By the end of the class, she was exhausted, but seemed happier, so I started some small talk and asked what she was doing for Christmas. She did not make eye contact when she answered, but while she was looking down, she said she was probably going to spend it alone.

I was surprised. I know she has tons of family nearby in Cozumel, just a 30-minute ferry ride away.

So I asked why.

She told me that she has not been paid for the last few weeks and does not have the money to buy a ticket to visit her family.

I’ll be honest, I have been living here for 2 years, but have never taken the ferry to Cozumel. So my initial thought was that the tickets must be expensive.

But when I got home, I looked online, and they were cheap. I mean, really cheap.

I told my wife this story, and she thought the same thing I did (faster than I came up with the idea, as she is the smarter of this pair).

“Let’s buy the tickets for her.”

So 20 minutes later, I sent the digital tickets to this student with a quick note of Happy Holidays.

A few minutes later, we got a voice message of her thanking us over what we could easily hear were tears.

That’s all it takes. 20 minutes and maybe, but not necessarily, less money than we spent for one of us on lunch.

What can you do?

What life can you change before the end of 2025?