Contrast that with a young boy building a tree house. He dreams of a place he can go to be alone-a secluded, secret place. He imagines a wonderful “castle in air.” But, rarely do young men plan details of such a structure. He may find a board and nail it up on a limb. Next, he finds some masonite, which he nails next to board. As he finds materials, he adds them to his little structure. Without planning, his castle becomes less than a shack.

We do that with our lives. We take what comes, try to find a way to use it in our lives, and settle for what comes our way. Rather than planning what we will become, we settle for what comes to us.

We may have striven to reach our dreams and through opposition and trial, chose to give up on them.

Road Construction Analogy If you were on your way to work and found barricades indicating that your usual route has been close for construction, what would you do? Give up and go home? Go somewhere else? Of course not, you would find another route to your destination.

We will often find barricades blocking our way toward our dreams. But, too often we give up and find another destination. Rather than changing our dreams, I suggest that we should change our route to our dreams. Find another way to get there. Make a new plan. The blueprints may change, but basis of our dreams need not. We need not settle. We can live our dreams. We need a plan.

Our Community Many people want government to take care of every need for those who require help with healthcare, food, housing, small business loans, and most other humanitarian efforts.

When government takes away from society need and ability to serve our fellowman, we all lose. When we, of our own volition, choose to serve, we choose true and abundant significance.

In spite of billions of dollars government spends for relief of others, there are many needs to be satisfied by ordinary people. Unfortunately, it isn’t especially easy to find out where you can serve.

Here are a few suggestions:

Agencies for elderly need people to deliver food, perform yard work, shovel snow, run errands, provide transportation, and dozens of other tasks.

Homeless and battered women shelters need painting and other fix-ups, as well as mentors for assisting their clients.

Service clubs, like Rotary, Kiwanis, and Exchange, provide service opportunities throughout year.

Schools face shrinking budgets and need volunteers to help in their libraries, teachers’ aides, and help with athletics.

Youth programs, like Scouting and athletics, always need positive people to teach and guide our young people.

How to Find Volunteer Opportunities Check your local phone book in government pages for elderly care, and your yellow pages under, “Social Service Organizations” and “Youth Athletics.” You can also use search engines under “Service Clubs.”

Living with Significance When we look back on our lives, we usually don’t savor our professional achievements as much as we do impact we have had on lives of others. We should not be content with our normal work-a-day lives—but see great potential for positive influence we can have for people around us.

As we approach coming year, I challenge you to raise your sights, serve others, and live your life with extraordinary significance!