Finding something that you are passionate about is not just a vehicle for success. It is a gift and something for which to be profoundly grateful. This book stresses that you continue to search for your purpose and passion in life, because it is an incredible feeling to know that you are doing what you were put on this earth to do. Have you experienced that feeling yet? If you have not, then keep searching like your life depends on it. If you have, then continue on that road and give everything you have to the things you believe are important.
Marian Wright Edelman established the Children’s Defense Fund in 1973. It is a vibrant voice for poor, minority, and handicapped children, and the organization has made an impact on innumerable lives. She is grateful to have something that she is passionate about, and her purpose is fulfilled every day when children are given help and hope. Marian Wright Edelman’s résumé is filled with purpose and passion, and the Children’s Defense Fund is one of many contributions she has made to this world.
Are you doing what you were put on earth to do? Do you feel happy and proud of what you have done to influence the world around you? Spend some time writing in your journal today about your purpose and passion. Ask yourself if you are doing everything to pursue your purpose in life, or if you have gotten a little lazy. You are not going to get a second chance. Start doing what you were meant to do today.
DAY
146
“ . . . When it’s over, I want to say all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms. When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real. I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument. I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.”
— Mary Oliver
None of us wants to think about death. If your life ended today, would you be satisfied with how you spent your time here, or would you be wondering if you could have done more?
Your assignment on Day 146 is to write your obituary. That might sound slightly morbid, but it is actually an opportunity for you to think about how to get the most out of life right now. It’s a dangerous move to put off your success and procrastinate participating in life. You have no idea how much time you have left to embrace it.
Don’t get too depressed about this assignment. You are not going to imagine that you kick the bucket today. Write about what they will say after you’ve lived a long, full life. What do you want people to remember about you? What do you hope they will say at your funeral? If you have a chance for assessment in an afterlife, will you give yourself a good grade? Imagine how it will feel to know you were an active participant in the world, rather than a visitor. What can you do today to make sure that happens?
DAY
147
“Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.”
— Billy Graham
Yesterday you wrote your obituary. It was probably a sobering exercise and maybe not that much fun, but it’s important to look at the big picture. Have you thought about your legacy? As Billy Graham says in this quote, it’s not just about the possessions you leave behind. You have an opportunity to contribute to the world in so many ways that have nothing to do with money or things. You will live forever if you touch the heart of someone else while you are here.
Kathy’s grandmother died five years ago, but she left a rich legacy. She was not a wealthy woman. In fact, she was quite poor. But Kathy thinks about her every day, and in some ways she models her life after her grandma. Kathy has a beautiful, clean home where family and friends are always welcome. Her grandma taught her that it is an act of love to clean your house until it shines. It shows everyone who enters that you care about yourself and about them. She also taught Kathy that it’s important to leave the light on and welcome family and friends whenever they need a safe haven or a place to feel loved. Kathy’s grandmother lives on in Kathy’s actions. She didn’t waste her time on earth. She filled her days with joy and love and gave that wealth away every day.
Write about a person in your life who left you a rich legacy. How would you like to emulate that person?
DAY
148
“The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.”
— Benjamin Disraeli
Who are your heroes? Everyone has at least a handful of people who are heroes to them. What traits make someone a hero?
The most common response people give when describing their heroes is that they offer a great example. Heroes are larger-than-life examples of how to be a success. They are legendary, because they had the tenacity to live life to the fullest and seemed to make all of the right decisions when faced with adversity.
Heroes also live by a code. They have a high standard for themselves, and they follow that standard in all of their affairs. They set the bar way up in the stratosphere, and they achieve success because they are willing to adhere to their higher standards.
Your assignment today is to become a hero. This is not a joke. Today you will become a hero. There is no reason you cannot be one. The first thing you need is a mission statement. This will be your code to live by. It states clearly what your overall goals are in life. It says who you want to be. Write your mission statement today and live by it from now on. How would you like to define your purpose in life? Here is your chance to get it down on paper. You can’t ignore your aspirations. They are part of your innermost self. Now, what you must do is attempt to live up to those aspirations.
Be a hero today. Set your standards high in your mission statement and live by your own code of success.
DAY
149
“Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you’re alive, it isn’t.”
— Richard Bach
You became a hero yesterday. How does it feel? Are you a little uncomfortable with that title? Do you think you already messed it up and don’t deserve to be a hero anymore? Here’s the good news: you get a chance to start over every day—every minute if you choose.
It is admirable to set lofty goals and try to live up to them, but you will fail sometimes. Even heroes fail. The beauty of life is that as long as you’re breathing, you get a do-over. You have an opportunity to change the way things are every single day and every single moment.
You don’t live in a static world. Your mission continues as long as you are alive, and you will be presented with a ton of new opportunities for change and growth throughout your journey. You have absolutely no idea what today holds, but there is one thing you can do to make it a good day. Participate!