The difference is in the motive.

In order to live the life you dream of, would you sacrifice significance for anonymity?

Everyone strives for significance in their lives on some level. From our youth, young boys dream of being the hero in the story...doing things that no one else is able to do. In similar fashion, young girls dream of being swept off their feet, being Cinderella and living in a romantic utopia. Instead, many awaken 25 years later alone, isolated and empty. Rather than doing courageous things, the man who was once a young boy full of life and vitality is leashed to a job he couldn't possibly care any less about; his courage buried beneath obscurity and lifeless routines. The young princess lives in a reality of bad decisions and broken relationships in an attempt to hastily construct the fairytale she grew up dreaming about.
Throughout our lives we are often measured by who we know, how many friends we have, what we've done and where we are headed. This implants a message in our hearts that we must progress in order to be relevant. We've got to be bigger, louder, more accomplished and more commonly recognized than those around us. If not, we are not significant and that is of great importance to most of us.
The result is simple: in our quest for significance, we lose who we are supposed to be. It's a vicious cycle where we trade significance for doing significant things. And there is a massive difference between the two.
So many anonymous people have changed the course of history through significant actions. For the most part, it has everything to do with what you focus on. Doing significant things may be small, unnoticeable actions, but these actions produce change. When we only strive for significance, we are not focused on how we can make a difference as much as how much recognition are we getting.
To see the difference plainly, think of Mother Teresa, who was recognized later in life not because of what she had or who she knew but because of the significant change produced from her life. Then think of the CEO whose address book is full yet no one truly knows him when his significance is defined only by what he has and his forgettable accomplishments.

Can you walk away from pursuing significance in order to do things that are significant?