Once in a while, a video comes along that's powerful enough to rise above cultural and language barriers and bring us all just a little bit closer together.
This is one such video.
It's a commercial from Thailand, and I'm not going to spoil it for you... I just want you to watch it.
No, experience it. And in the space of 3 minutes, 2 seconds... I challenge you to not be deeply impacted by it, and moved to action.
Watch this…
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ― Charles Dickens
See? What did I tell you? :-)
What a powerful reminder of the power of being kind without expecting anything in return.
Even after making it big and becoming a “success” in business and in life… even after obtaining what most would consider to be ‘enough’ for personal fulfillment, don’t be surprised if you still feel a void inside you that yearns to be filled.
This is where the power of giving is realized…
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ― Winston Churchill
And by giving, I don’t necessarily mean money. Sure, money by itself can help make a lot great stuff happen. But equally important – and often more important – is the giving of yourself.
What I’m talking about here is service – your time, your energy and your effort giving to help other people and important causes. When you help out a neighbor in need, make a friend’s day, invest time with a fatherless or motherless child, buy a homeless person a meal and actually sit with them and get to know their story while you do… whatever it may be…
So long as whatever is given – money, your time, a service, a material gift – so long as it has a meaningful impact on the life of the recipient. But the key is, you gotta do it unconditionally without any expectation of a reciprocal action from the receiver.
It’s the 'Golden Rule' continued…
"Do to others as you would have them do to you." – Luke 6:31
Regardless of your faith (or lack of) I’m sure we can agree how important this principle is, and what a tremendous difference it would make if we could all truly embody it in our day-to-day lives.
Today (as I write this), I am challenged to be proactive (and not passive) in looking for opportunities to demonstrate outrageous generosity and kindness. The opportunity is all around me – and it’s all around you, too. All we have to do is open our eyes to it, and choose to embody it.
Today, I choose to be that Thai restaurant owner. Not in the hope that someday, it might come back to me… but just because that’s the kind of world I want to help make. Today I choose to BE the change I want to see in the world around me.
“Happiness doesn't result from what we get, but from what we give.” ― Ben Carson
Let's make a world like this. You with me?
Ask yourself this question every day, as often as possible: What act of kindness or generosity can I offer the world around me, without expecting anything in return?
Leave a comment below with some specific action you (personally) can take in the next 24 hours to display kindness and generosity to the world around you. Even 1 small gesture for 1 person. Tell us about it.
JP Moses
is a real estate investor in Memphis, TN, with experience ranging from land lording to note buying, rehabbing, and wholesaling. However, wholesaling is the area that he enjoys most and where he bring the most experience and expertise to his students.