I feel sad when I realize that probably most people live their lives out of survival and resignation. They have fallen into that terrible pit of believing a lie and feeling that who they are does NOT make a difference--so they have given up, except for doing what it takes to just survive.
You can choose a M.A.D. lifestyle of Making A Difference. The benefit of living a M.A.D. lifestyle is two fold:
*It enriches your OWN life just by having a Making A Difference mindset
*You DO end up enriching the lives of others, which results in you feeling even better about yourself
Here is a powerful story that illustrates this important point that I request that you read right now.
Who You Are Makes A Difference
A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made. She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First she told each of them how they had made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters, which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."
Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results, see who honored whom and report back to the class in about a week.
One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his shirt. Then he gave him two extra ribbons and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like you to go out, find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon, then give them the extra blue ribbon so they
can acknowledge a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony going. Then please report back to me and tell me what happened.
Later that day the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had been noted, by the way, as being kind of a grouchy fellow. He sat his boss down and he told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius. The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and would he give him permission to put it on him. His surprised
boss said, "Well, sure." The junior executive took the blue ribbon and placed it right on his boss's jacket above his heart. As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he said, "Would you do me a favor? Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on by honoring somebody else? The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project in school and we want to keep this recognition
ceremony going and find out how it affects people.
That night the boss came home to his 14-year-old son and sat him down. He said, "The most incredible thing happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine. He thinks I'm a creative genius. Then he put this blue ribbon that says 'Who I Am Makes A Difference' on my jacket above my heart. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor.
As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about whom I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you. I want to honor you. My days are really hectic and when I come home I don't pay a lot of attention to you. Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good enough grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess, but somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me. Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You're a great kid and I love you!"
The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn't stop crying. His whole body shook. He looked up at his father and said through his tears, "I was planning on committing suicide tomorrow, Dad, because I didn't think you loved me. Now I know you care. This is the happiest day I've known."
The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no longer a grouch but made sure to let all his employees know that they made a difference. The junior executive helped several other young people with career planning and never forgot to let them know that they made a difference in his life...one being the boss's son. And the young boy and his classmates learned a valuable lesson. Who you are DOES make a difference.
I challenge you to LOOK for something you can do TODAY and EVERYDAY to make a difference. As you may have heard the famous quote: All it takes for evil to triumph is for good to do nothing. There is no neutrality--you vote by default by doing nothing.
And the terrible price you pay for doing nothing is you begin to feel like nothing.
Doing nothing and being passive is also making a difference--a NEGATIVE difference. No matter what you do, it will make a difference in some way. Terrorists make a difference--a very negative difference. So why not use your power to make a positive difference for what you believe is good?
If every drop of water in the ocean decided that as a small single drop, that they did not make a difference and therefore could somehow choose to vanish, what would happen to the ocean? It would disappear!
Yes, each one of us is small by ourselves, but to think of ourselves as singular and alone, and powerless, is a deadly deception that rips off both ourselves and others.
The reality is that we are NOT by ourselves, that no man is an island, though on the surface, it may APPEAR (John 7:24) to be that way. We are all connected and what we think and do in some way makes a difference and affects everyone else.
So I again challenge you to choose to consciously live the M.A.D. lifestyle--see yourself as a person who by your very NATURE makes a difference in multiple ways: if you are married, with your spouse, through your family, with your friends, in your church, in your prayers, in your being healthy, in your optimism and faith, etc.
Today and everyday, deliberately and consciously look for at least ONE way you can make a positive and enriching difference, and then do that every day the rest of your life. You were created by design to BE a person who makes a difference. That is your heritage. So choose to BE and LIVE who you really are by living that M.A.D. lifestyle. Too much is at stake to not live in this way, and the reward for doing so is phenomenal!
Who you are is important, and you DO make a difference--so make it a positive
one!
Believing in you,
Ray Gebauer
M.A.D. Man on a Mission, Making a Difference
So stand T.A.L.L.
Touch/Transform
All
Life
(in) Love
