“…I want passion and life and laughter and freedom in some wide open spaces…”
“…Community is very important to me. What matters? It is people. It is people. It is people…”
“…I want to help a community that needs to be helped…”
“…I want to get up the courage to risk it all and do what would make me happy…”
“…I want to make a difference in the world by empowering girls and young women the world over to take control of all aspects of their life…”
“…We don’t have all the answers. We don’t know what we’re going to do next or how we are going to come out of this on the other side. However, we do know that we are kind people, and we work hard. Rather than getting lost in the challenge and the trouble, we continue to make the choice everyday to be happy – regardless of the variables involved. We are healthy and we have each other — life’s blessing don’t get much better than that. We can choose to be happy…”
Last week I pondered a question that is incredibly simple and impossibly complicated: “What do you want”?
Many of you responded, sharing your personal stories and articulating to me what it is you really want. And what I found so incredible is that it was never about money, recognition, or success. It was about your contribution. To your family, friends, colleagues, and community.
Overwhelmingly, what resonated as your responses came in: Our selfish wants are grounded in selfless acts.
It’s a beautiful thing.
Of course, a paycheck is important, not to mention necessary, but this, as I’ve talked about recently, is what passion is all about. Success isn’t rooted in accomplishments, but rather, how those accomplishments impact others.
Happiness comes from the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, and what the world needs.
Your heart will tell you what you love. Your mind will tell you what you’re capable of. The world will tell you what it needs. Are you listening?