Ordinary People Can Live with Significance

Written by David DeFord


It’s holiday time—a time when our thoughts rise from our everyday living to higher ideals. Something lifts our sights aboverepparttar everyday, and helps us focus on our relationships, on our neighbors, and on our fellowman.

The Babe from Bethlehem changed everything. His perfect life, inspiring teachings, and infinite sacrifice has had a profound impact onrepparttar 123340 world ever since. It wasrepparttar 123341 turning point of human history.

Can ordinary people like us live lives of significance? Can we have profound impacts on others?

I am convinced that every person born to this earth hasrepparttar 123342 seeds of extraordinary significance built into him or her. While our circle of influence may be much smaller than Christ’s, we can liftrepparttar 123343 lives of those around us. We can have lives filled with deep purpose and meaning.

"There is no passion to be found playing small--in settling for a life that is less thanrepparttar 123344 one you are capable of living." -- Nelson Mandela

Our Circles of Influence Of course most of us can’t haverepparttar 123345 influence to inspirerepparttar 123346 world like Nelson Mandela, we can influence our own circles.

Our Families Some people focus so much on their work or their other passions that they fail to inspire and lift their own families. David O. MacKay said, “No success can compensate for failure inrepparttar 123347 home.”

And Harold B. Lee added, “The most important ofrepparttar 123348 Lord's work you and I will ever do will be withinrepparttar 123349 walls of our own homes."

We should all see that our drive to succeed inrepparttar 123350 world does not keep us at such a distance from our families that we lose our opportunity, or shun our responsibility to teach, love, comfort, nurture, and develop our own family members.

Family isrepparttar 123351 basic unit of society. Our work at home can effect many generations.

Those Around Us We have wonderful opportunities everyday to live with significance by influencing those around us. Treating others with respect, kindness, patience, and empathy lifts them and fulfills us. Have you ever been greeted by a store clerk or restaurant worker with enthusiasm and true concern? They communicate to you that they want you to have a good experience. How does that make you feel? It lifts your spirits, gives you positive energy. You can haverepparttar 123352 same impact on others.

Staying Motivationally Nourished

Written by David DeFord


Motivation is very much like our bodies—without consistent nourishment it dies. We must see that we consistently feed our motivation with uplifting material and people. Dr. Stephen Covey calls it “sharpeningrepparttar saw.” Takingrepparttar 123329 time to sharpenrepparttar 123330 saw increases our productivity and easesrepparttar 123331 effort. By doing so, we can continuously make progress toward goal achievement.

This nourishment can take many forms: • Books • Articles • Websites • E-zines • Discussion groups and forums • Audio programs • Live seminars • Tele-seminars

Just as you should eat a balanced diet, so you should nourish yourself with a variety of sources for motivational energy. Atrepparttar 123332 end of this chapter, I have provided links to some of my favorite authors and resources.

Books For hundreds of years, books have brought inspiration and instruction to billions. Those who liverepparttar 123333 “TV existence” vegetate their way around wonderful inspiration. Books teach us, inspire us, entertain us, and can build in usrepparttar 123334 passion we need to nail our goals.

If we obtain and study books that help us lift ourselves and build our skills, we position ourselves to achieverepparttar 123335 greatness we seek. Every author has his own perspective. By reading a variety of subjects and authors, we can take from eachrepparttar 123336 teachings that apply to ourselves.

For me, books represent my favorite means for nourishment.

We now haverepparttar 123337 added opportunity to obtain eBooks. We can purchase these books online and immediately download them onto our own computers. Some can then be loaded onto our PDA’s for portability. You may wish to read eBooks directly from your monitor, or you may choose to print them out and read them.

Articles Magazine articles can provide you with good motivational nourishment on a single subject. Often, these articles point you to resources available from various sources.

Website No matterrepparttar 123338 subject, there are probably hundreds if not thousands of websites covering it. Most of these providerepparttar 123339 information to you at no charge. Some websites provide premium memberships that give you access to more detailed information. Most often,repparttar 123340 site will point you to resources you can purchase. Either,repparttar 123341 site allows you to purchaserepparttar 123342 resources at their site, or they link you to an affiliate site that pays them forrepparttar 123343 referral.

Websites can be excellent sources of motivational nourishment. Find a few that you trust, and return to them often. Every few months, search around for additional sites.

Subscribe to one or two. It will only cost you a few dollars a year, and will give you access to hundreds of articles on a variety of subjects.

E-zines Want a regular infusion of energy and information? Subscribe to a few e-zines. These publications come to you via email at no charge. Many of them are well-written and insightful. They feature an article or two in each issue, as well as inspirational quotes and stories. And, like websites, they offer resources for purchase.

Select three or four, and read them when they come. It may take you ten to fifteen minutes to read them, but they can provide you withrepparttar 123344 energy infusion you need to keep focused on your goals.

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