John and his Dad
Have you ever really considered whether or not your going to live until you die? You might think this is a stupid question. But seriously … are you really living or just alive.
Are you living the life you were meant to live? Are you passionate about the things you do everyday? Are you creating a legacy? Are you excited to start each day?
How come people use the expression “living the dream” when they are really living the nightmare. You are the only one that can change your current situation so if you need a check up from the neck up to figure out whether you are really living or not, now’s the time. Now is the time to start living.
I heard John Maxwell introduce his father at an event I was at in February and when he introduced him and brought him up to the stage, he said these words:
“I would like to introduce you to the most important man to me here on earth, my father. And some time ago my father decided HE WAS GOING TO LIVE UNTIL HE DIED ….”
John’s 87 year old father proceeded to light that room on fire for about twenty minutes appearing as if he was in his twenties with the energy and enthusiasm he brought to that stage. Everyone in the room now understood what John had meant when he introduced his dad.
That day and those words changed my life forever. You see, it was that day that I decided I was going to live until I died. The event I was at was the “live” training component that completed my certification as a John Maxwell coach, trainer and speaker.
For three days, I collaborated with 500 like minded people that shared my goals, my vision and my desire to leave a legacy by making a difference in people’s lives. Somewhere during those three days I started to change the way I looked at things and a funny thing happened … the things I was looking at started to change.
My point is this – I think most people fall short of the life they were meant to live. I have seen what it looks like to actually be living instead of just repeating the same thing over and over every day and I am energized to accomplish more than I ever thought possible.
Ask yourself this question –
“When was the last time I made a difference in someone’s life?”
My challenge to you today is to take a hard look at the life you are living. Think about what it is that you are passionate about and focus on it. I wake up each morning excited to see what opportunity I will have to make a difference in other people’s lives and build my legacy in the process.
“What will people say about you after you are gone? More importantly, will they say anything at all?”
“GO OUT AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE TODAY!”
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Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com 8/3/12 photo credit: john maxwell company
Interesting little piece.
I try every day to make a positive impact on someone’s life.
I am by no means perfect and never purport to be. I do what I can, when I can, for whomever I think I can be of help. Whether it is at work, at home or for leisure, I will try to help someone in some way. One of my son’s friends asked me what I do for a living. Previously when asked that question, I would give an overview of what I did at the company and some of my daily duties. After putting some actual thought into it one day, I now have a different response. Now, I tell them that what I do for a living is to help people. All day long. My job is not about me at all. My job (in which I fail often) is to make other people’s lives easier if I can. You know what I do and you do something very similar. People need your help every day. Either in putting numbers together, figuring out how to build a job, etc.
If we can do that with leaving someone with a smile, I think our mission has been accomplished.
Each year, I will donate about 16 weeks of my time. This is about 2.5-3.5 hours per weekday giving kids opportunities to get better at baseball and grow as little human beings. A lot of people do this. I tell my kids as well as their friends that donating time to volunteer is something they should do at an early age and do it regularly if they can.
This Saturday(tomorrow), I will be taking a high school friend down the McKenzie River in my drift boat. About 3 weeks ago, she was diagnosed as clean from any cancer. She has been battling hard for about 2 years now. This is something she wanted to do, so I will do it. It helps her.
I am selfish, I am obstinate, I am a pain in my wife’s neck mostly. However, I try to do the right things and I try to help people for a living.
I hope I did not miss the point of the article, but this is my plan for living until I die.
Thanks Bo. I think you have completely grasped the point I was making. You have found a way to not only live, but give back to others – and in a large way. Well done my friend. You are clearly making a difference and adding value in your community. Keep up the great work!
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” – Marcus Aurelius.
Awesome post Barry! If there’s one thing that my affiliation with you and the rest of the John Maxwell Team has taught me it’s, “Do it afraid.” People spend so much time worrying about failure that they don’t live a full, rich life.
Great comment Dave. I could not agree more. Although there is risk in doing anything new, the reward of succeeding (at least that I have found) is well worth risking the possibility of failure.
Dave what a powerful question… are you going to live until you die? I to want to be passionate in every stage of my life. I believe this is a challenge to our culture. It’s sad to hear so many people looking forward to retiring. I love what John Maxwell said about retirement: I promise to retire the day that I die, I promise I will not write another book when I die, I will not give another teaching after I die.
This, of course, makes perfect sense. Live to the fullest while you are alive because afterwards you won’t be able to.
Great take Aaron. I share John’s thoughts – I plan on making a difference every day that I am blessed to be here on earth. We only have so much time, so why not make the most of it.
There’s a great line from Clint Eastwood movie (I think it was from the The Outlaw Josey Wales)
“Dying is easy. It’s living that’s Hard” –
Some thoughts that I’d like to add to this great post…
“And It’s even harder to live with yourself if you’re always taking the easy path. The easy path often leads to loss of life (paramount to death), Hwowever the more challenging path often leads to reward and triumph.
@PaulGustavson
Thanks for the additional insight Paul. You have well substantiated the idea that big risk brings big reward! Life can be hard for all of us at times but it sure seems much more fulfilling when we overcome the bigger challenges.