One lesson I learned from a very young age is that we all can make a positive difference – in how we treat each other, in how we engage in our community, in how we take care of our world. I was fortunate enough to have adults in my life who expected me to be kind and an engaged citizen, who supported me in cutting up the plastic rings from our soda bottles after I learned about their devastating impact on sea life, in writing a letter to the president about an issue I cared about, and so much more. I was always encouraged to be informed, have an opinion, and take action.

Today, I still try to make a positive difference every day, in my personal life and in my work, including through our work at the Clinton Foundation to create economic opportunity, improve public health, and inspire civic engagement.

And, I am always learning from the people I am lucky enough to work alongside and support. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned from some particularly inspiring people:

1. Learn what motivates you. For José Andrés, the answer is to do what he can, anywhere and everywhere, to meet the needs of people in crisis like he’s done time and time again. For example, in Puerto Rico where he’s partnered with the Clinton Global Initiative Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery; from New York to Little Rock to help feed furloughed workers during the government shutdown; and in Mozambique after Cyclone Idai (to name just a few). As José has said, “Sometimes the best plan is just to show up and start doing.”

2. Learn everything there is to know about it to make a difference. After seeing firsthand the impact of the opioid epidemic in his community, Dr. Basem Hamid, an Imam and pain specialist, worked with the Clinton Health Matters Initiative in Houston to combine what he knew from medical experience and faith leadership to strengthen compassion among his congregants to reduce stigma. He says, “As a physician I can offer medical guidance and a listening ear. But as a religious leader, I offer the knowledge that they’re not alone.”

3. Do something. In San Francisco, Dr. Neeti Doshi wanted to help new parents understand the vital role they play in their baby’s early brain development, so she partnered with Too Small to Fail to help pediatricians provide guidance and educational materials at the hospital’s children’s clinic. As she said, “It’s so important for parents to hear from their doctor – someone they trust deeply and see countless times over their child’s life – that we care as much about their brain development as we do vaccines, blood draws, or other developmental milestones.” After seeing the positive impact of her new work, she then expanded it to the Labor and Delivery Unit so that every parent leaving the hospital now leaves talking, reading, and singing with their baby from birth.

4. Share your passion with others. The members of the Women in Renewable Energy (WIRE) Network from across the Caribbean exemplify this. Through a supportive digital community, these women are coming together on the issues of clean energy in their countries and, in the process, are empowering an entire generation of girls through their example and mentorship. As Khadija Usher from Belize shared, “As more women get involved in environmental and energy issues, we believe they can be a secret weapon in the fight against climate change. Every member of WIRE wants to be a change agent for the girls and other women in our community, and also the world.”

5. Don’t be afraid to get caught trying – and don’t give up. Suhani Jalota from CGI University saw the need to address the stigma around women’s menstruation in her native India, and at age 20, founded the Myna Mahila Foundation to distribute menstrual products to thousands of women. Suhani estimates she pursued six different start-up ideas aimed at fighting poverty and improving public health in India before she eventually created the Myna Mahila Foundation. In just three years, they’ve already grown to reach 10,000 women every month, providing sanitary products and education and they’re still growing. Imagine if she had stopped after her first idea. As she says, “Try your ideas and see if they work. If they don’t work, you’ve learned something for the next idea.”

Like these changemakers, if we think we can make a difference in an area we care about, we owe it to ourselves and our communities to try.