It’s been almost 10 years since I graduated high school and while I have now reached my late 20s, I still feel closer to being a kid than a grown-up.

So in the last few months when I’ve been asked to speak to teens about my career, I can’t help but wonder, “What business do I have trying to inspire and shape young minds?”

But since I often wished I was able to talk with more professional journalists when I was in high school and pick their brains, I accept these invitations as a way to share what I’ve learned and give them a little insight into the industry if they’re interested.

My latest attempt to act like a grown-up was last weekend when I spoke to a group of girls at Redmond-based Young Women Empowered’s (Y-WE) Career Day. The event was in West Seattle and drew teens from throughout the Puget Sound area. With speakers in various fields ranging from big corporations and public utilities to medicine and performing arts, the goal of the day was to expose the teens to different careers and give them an idea of what options are out there for them.

I arrived early and was able to listen to two speakers myself. Both women, as well as many of the other speakers for the day, were at least 10 or 15 years older than me and much more established in their careers. So again, I questioned my being there. But when it was my turn to speak, the girls appeared interested and asked me some questions afterwards, so I felt I was doing something right.

This got me thinking.

Even though I’m never sure how much of a difference I make when I speak to young people, I do it because I believe in the cause and — as I’ve said before — know I would have appreciated this type of thing when I was younger, as well.

And not to sound cheesy or anything, but it’s also been gratifying for me to talk with the teens and see their curiosity and excitement. Sometimes their enthusiasm is for journalism. Sometimes it’s not — it may just be something we found we had in common in the course of conversation. And that’s fine.

I think this can be applied to any cause. Whether you’re bringing dinner for the night to a homeless shelter, running in a 5K to raise money for the American Cancer Society or reading to kids after school, if you’re doing something you believe in, it makes all the difference. It becomes something you look forward to rather than something you’re doing out of obligation.

And while you may not think what you’re doing makes a difference, even the smallest actions can have a great impact. And just think, if we all do one little thing each to further a cause we believe in, imagine how much better the world could be.