MAKING YOUR LIFE COUNT FOR SOMETHING WHORTHWHILE

Many people feel what they do is meaningless.  They go through the motions like robots, but their hearts aren’t really in it.  They don’t see the significance in their lives.  Do you ever feel this way?

It is paramount that we find and commit ourselves to a worthwhile cause as a part of making your life count.  It is only when we feel our lives have a higher purpose that we are truly experiencing all that life has to offer. 

Real joy in life comes from serving a cause that we feel is worthy of our time and energy.  Are you living your calling?

There are many reasons to find and commit yourself to a cause, but here are the five that I will like to share with you.

1.  Serving a great cause makes us feel happy and valuable

That is happiness: to be dissolved into something complete and great.
~ Willa Cather

A part of living life to the fullest is being happy.  A big part of happiness is knowing that your life has meaning and purpose.  It is knowing that you are a valuable person.

When we go to the effort to find and serve a meaningful cause, we are happier.  We get a deep sense of satisfaction that our lives matter.

Our life gets used up anyway.  Why not make it count for something worthwhile?

2.  Investing in a great cause is investing in ourselves

Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.
~ George Elliot

Serving a significant cause makes us into a better person.  There is no way around this. 

Giving yourself to a bigger purpose makes you grow.  It stretches you and helps you to see the real miracles that happen around us every day.  The challenge and fulfillment you experience will enrich you in ways that you can’t even imagine!

This kind of smart living helps us to get our minds off our own little, petty problems for awhile.  It puts things into perspective and causes us to be more grateful for all the blessings in our lives.  It opens our eyes to see the greatness all around us.

3.  Pouring ourselves out for a great cause will lead us to authenticity

Life is a promise; fulfill it.
~ Mother Theresa

We are all endowed with unique gifts and talents.  Discovering your place in a great cause is like finding a huge missing piece of yourself.  You are not complete without it.

The more you unpack your purpose in life, the closer you get to the real you.  All the less than honest parts of yourself tend to dissolve.  They fade away because they are no longer needed.

This is a process that occurs over time, but it can’t really begin until you start to see who you really are.  Following your heart is the first step in this great journey to fulfill the promise you were created to fulfill.

4.  Making your life count will give you a clear purpose in life

The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose
~ Richard Leider

Many of us wander through life aimlessly.  We fail to establish goals.  We bounce around like a pinball from one thing to the next.  As Thoreau points out, we go to the grave with the song still in us.

However, once you identify and pursue a valuable cause, it is like your internal GPS kicks in.  Your vision for the future begins to take shape and you feel emboldened.  There is no longer a lack of clear direction.  Your life has purpose.

This purpose becomes a driving force.  It is the inner energy source that propels you upward and onward tirelessly.  Purpose is refreshing, rejuvenating and exhilarating!

5.  Persevering in making your life count will make the world a better place

Each small task of everyday is part of the total harmony of the universe.
~ St. Theresa of Lisieux

What do you want to be remembered for once you are gone?  What will be your legacy?  What will your children and family recall about you?

I have personally pondered these questions and I believe the answers are an important part of living life to the fullest.  It is important to make a positive mark on this world.

I want to leave this world just a little bit better than I found it for the next generation.  I want to be a part of the solution instead of a part of the problem.  I want to finish my life and know that I used it wisely.  I want to know I pursued smart living.

Find a way to make your life count for something

There are a number of ways to do this, but you have to start somewhere.  Here are some suggestions on how you can begin to make your life count for something.

1. Brainstorm possible causes – Start by examining your heart and asking yourself some questions.  What’s important to you?  What do you value?  What are you passionate about?

Here are some ideas to help you get going:

- Raising your family and children

- Helping the poor here and abroad

- Volunteering to improve your community

- Teaching people an important skill or concept

2. Decide how to get involved – What are your talents and how could you apply them to benefit a cause that you are passionate about?  What can you do?  It could be just about anything.  Are you good with computers, accounting, research, fund-raising, organizing events, construction, vehicle maintenance or writing?  Any of these talents and a million others are needed in all kinds of great causes.  Decide how you can help and then get started!
3. Make your life count – Find an organization or group of people that are already doing things to further the cause that you are passionate about and join them.  Don’t be shy about getting involved.  Assert yourself and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you become one of them!

Make your life count!  Get involved in a worthwhile cause so you can find significance and the real you.  Don’t waste another minute feeling unimportant and aimless!  Your life is too important of a thing to waste!

MOST VALUABLE ACHIEVEMENT

Most of the highest achievers in this world are people you’ve never heard of. Because achievement is much more than amassing fame or material wealth.
Achievement is living fully in a way that is meaningful to you and in line with the values you feel most deeply. Achievement is expressing the unique purpose that is at the center of your being.
Achievement does not require the approval, permission or recognition of anyone else. Achievement is following the desires of your most authentic self, not merely satisfying the shallow impulses of your ego.
The vast majority of achievements that come to life every day are quiet and peaceful and immensely fulfilling. Do not confuse true achievement with meaningless spectacles that make a lot of noise but have no lasting value.
In the smallest moments there is the potential for great achievement. For what true achievement is, is living with purpose and love, with thankfulness and joy.
Remember always that achievement is more than merely constructing great edifices. The most valuable achievement is building a meaningful life that makes a positive contribution.