virgin islands scene

None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
-- Henry David Thoreau
 

 

The MONTHLY Motivator - October 2017

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Make a difference

Life is about making a difference. You are here to make a difference, equipped to make a difference, with a deep, essential desire to make a difference. To the extent that you do make a difference, you feel fully alive, enthusiastic, energetic. When you’re not making a difference, you get frustrated, cynical, resentful, dejected.

Your greatest opportunity is to make a difference in your own special way. Your most promising possibilities come from giving something of yourself to those around you. Look back on your life and you’ll find that your happiest moments have been when you were engaged in spreading happiness to others. Real and lasting wealth comes from providing value to others, from making yourself indispensable to the world in your own unique way. No matter what your business or profession may be, the greatest opportunities and the highest rewards go to those who take it upon themselves to create value, to make a difference. And the amazing thing is, if you take that approach there’s rarely any competition. When the vast majority of people are focused on taking and getting, those who sincerely desire to create and produce shine brilliantly by comparison.

Provide something of value to someone, and you have a job. Provide something of value to people, over and over again, and you have a profession. Provide something of great value to a large number of people and you have a fortune.

If life were just about taking, it would be terribly limited. You can only take what’s already there and once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. Fortunately, life is much more dynamic and open-ended than that. Life is about giving and creating value. About making a difference.

No, you cannot take more than you give. It is impossible to sustain for longer than the blink of an eye. You can, however, give more than you take. And that is what makes your experience of living so beautiful.

You won’t be able to sneak past the necessity of providing a contribution to each day. The desire to make a difference is part of you, and the more readily you embrace it, the better. Value exists in your life to the extent you invest yourself in life, in making a difference. Fulfillment is generated by what you do with what you have, not by what you seize or possess.

Look for ways to make a difference in the world. To solve problems, to create joy and beauty, to give comfort, to provide meaning to the lives of others. Look for ways to give, look for things that need to be done. That is where you’ll find opportunity, where you’ll connect to richness. The more value you provide, and the more people you provide it to, the wealthier you will become—both materially and spiritually.


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--Ralph Marston

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