Be Someone's World

I've been pondering an interesting subject. The subject is "What Don't I See?"

Now, this is interesting because from time to time I am surprised by things. Today, someone wrote anonymously on my Facebook profile and I quote "Your gonna do alot of good things in your life man... tru shit."

This got me thinking. How many times do I get in a funk and not really appreciate the impact I have on others' lives? I probably do this a lot without even realizing it.

You never know when you are someone's world. That by your very presense you allow someone to be free. I know I do this for a few people. This is what I know. I bet there are people who I do it for who haven't told me.

One of the things about "Da Free Life" is that it's not a common way of living. Since it's uncommon, you can make a huge difference without even realizing this. A major fault of mine has been underestimating my impact. Some days I feel really bad and wonder if I am making a difference at all. On days like this, I'm reminded by little things like anonymous posts that I am making a difference. Have courage, faith, and conviction that you are making a difference and you will!!!!

I leave you with this quote which summarizes this article.

"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world."
-George Washington Carver

Start Changing the World...NOW!

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world"
-Anne Frank

I get a weekly email on Success Principles. It's from the people at Yoursuccessstore.com. I saw this quote and was deeply inspired.

As you may know by now, Da Free Life involves giving back to society. Many times people ask me "But how do I give back?" I have come to realize that people think they have to do something huge to make a difference. Not everything thats important is huge or expensive.

Improving the world starts with doing something small. If everyone picked up ONE piece of trash, how much cleaner would the world be? Thats one example of people improving the world without expending much time or effort.

Even easier is smiling at a person you pass by on the street. It costs nothing but gives a lot. As an investor, I wish I could find something that costs nothing and gives a lot :) !!!!

To sum it up, start doing little things. RIGHT NOW. Go give a kiss to your significant other. Write a nice note to a friend on Facebook or Myspace. If we all start doing this, our world would improve immensely and, in short time, would be permanently changed!!! Cheers

Giving Back Through Education

I just read an article on ESPN.com about Braylon Edwards. Edwards is a star receiver for the Cleveland Browns and he just created a program to give 100 children in Cleveland college scholarships. The program is simple with the only requirements being a 2.5 GPA in high school, no unexcused absences, and 15 hours of community service a year. A very noble act indeed.

I really admire Mr. Edwards for doing this. He's following Rule 6 and I'm sure he feels really good about giving back. We are all blessed with good fortune one way or the other. To get more, we must give more. That is a universal law. I hope this article encourages you to give back someway. It doesn't have to be through money or anything like that. Here's some ideas on ways to give back that don't cost any money at all.

1. Volunteer at a local animal shelter for 3 hours.
2. Read to children at a local elementary school.
3. Help start an after school program that involves your professional skills.
4. Join a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop as a leader.

Any one of these things don't cost any money but really do make a difference in people's lives. Mr. Edwards (and all of you who give back) should be commended! Cheers

The Power Of A Hug

This video is very inspiring. My friend Neil McGeehan sent it to me. At first, I thought "huh?" It wasn't until a while later that I thought of the implications of this.

What if we gave away free hugs? Cynics will laugh (free hugs....ewww!) but just maybe if we gave hugs to our loved ones more often our relationships would be better. Maybe if we hugged friends they would see how much we care. Just some food for thought. Feast!

How Can I Make A Difference?

"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
-Margaret Mead, American Anthropologist

A common feeling that I had when I was younger was “How Can I Make A Difference?” A big question for sure. I couldn’t find an answer for many years but eventually I came to this conclusion, “Small things add up to big things.”

So I set out on a quest. My quest? I was going to find ways in my daily journey to make the world a better place. It started slow. A “hello” here and a “how are you doing” there. An amazing thing happened. Sure enough, my world got a little brighter. When I would see a person again, I would get a “hello” here and a “how are you doing” there.

Over time, I threw in a random smile to any person. Sometimes they would smile back and other times they wouldn’t. Slowly but surely, the amount of smiles increased.

So now, I get smiles and greetings from a lot of people. Not being one to gloat but it’s become hard to stay in a bad mood for more than a period of time. Having people greet and smile always brightens the day.

How can I make a difference?

• Smile at people you don’t know just because you can.
• Say “hello” or “how are you doing?” to a stranger.
• Surprise a friend with a gift or compliment (key: make it unique)
• Send a joke to someone you haven’t talked to in a while.
• Invite a coworker who you don’t usually socialize with to lunch