If you were to attend your own funeral, today, what would you like to hear people say about you? Certainly, one day, your life will come to an end. There will be a hole in the ground and a casket with your name on it. Granted, people from the neighbourhood and afar will come to mourn you. An account of your achievements will be part of the eulogies. In the eulogies, one thing that will come out clearly and matter most, in the heart of the mourners, will be whether you were a blessing to people around you, . . . how you touched other people whilst you were walking this small planet of ours. In short, the talk will be about your legacy. So, how would you like to be remembered?
We tend to be misled. When we talk about success, we think about material possessions, office positions, and power. No. These are just by-products. Although the definition of success is not universal, the common thread of success runs in a person’s personality. Success is not about erecting buildings, owning and driving expensive cars, having a corner office, donning expensive clothes, or having bank account balances with countless zeros at the end. It is about what you do with what you have.
Success is about discovering your gift and serving it to other people. Success is about achieving personal goals and - at the same time - sowing seeds for other people’s well-being. Success is about investing in people, developing people, mentoring people, elevating people, growing people, empowering people. Success, as celebrated NBA Hall of Fame coach, John Wooden, sagely asserted rests on “. . . finding peace of mind having contributed to making this world a better place.” The hallmark of success is leaving people around you better than you found them.
The ancient book of wisdom has lessons. Jesus multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish, to feed not only his twelve disciples but other followers as well. We are told that thousands ate and there were leftovers. It is reported that there were twelve baskets of leftovers. Jesus being who he was, knew the exact number of people that were there and the amount of food that was required to feed them. Surprisingly, he blessed and multiplied the loaves and fish more than enough.
We observe a similar lesson from the story of David in the same ancient book of wisdom. David painted the same picture when he said, “. . . my cup overflows.” In our homes, today, a cup or plate runs over when it cannot hold all that is being poured into it. This implies that David was blessed with more than what was enough for him at that particular time and use.
Jesus and David teach us great lessons. The high power always blesses us with more than enough so that we can share with others and be a blessing to those around us. What is it that you have in excess that you can share with others?
Helping others does not only entail giving food items to the hungry. You can touch others in numerous ways. You can legitimately influence events that are within your control to better other people’s lives. Think of those, who acted with courage to help the oppressed. Think Nelson Mandela, the iconic humanitarian, in apartheid South Africa. Think Mahatma Gandhi in India. Think Mother Teresa, who discovered her gifts and lived in very difficult environments to serve and save the marginalized and orphaned in run-down slums of Calcutta in India. Yes, think Malcolm X. Think Revered Martin Luther King Jr, who brought justice to the oppressed and gave voice to the voiceless. Think holocaust survivor and famed author of Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl, who used gifts the high power endowed him with to lift spirits of optimism and give hope of freedom to the persecuted, the hopeless, and prisoners of war in notorious Auschwitz camp in Germany. Think about forty-three top artists and humanitarians, United Support of Artists for Africa - USA for Africa - who in their quest to serve the starved and needy in Ethiopia, following the 1984 famine, successfully collaborated, and raised funds under the song ‘. . . we are the world.’
Yes, it is easy to find fame, wealth, influence, and honour. I tell you; it is hard to use the same fame, wealth, and influence to help others. Do you find it hard to use your fame, wealth, influence, and honour to serve those in need? When you were born, you were given a gift. The gift was given to you for a reason - that you should serve others. What matters most while you are walking this world is how well you use your gift for the benefit of other people. As Albert Schweitzer understands, “. . . the purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others.” Wise man. Think about how you can make your life count whilst you are alive. What are you doing today to make this planet a better place to live in?
Never mind how little your influence or contribution may be. Be in the habit of volunteering for or contributing to noble causes. You are the only one in this world. You are unique. Do not undervalue yourself. Why not volunteer to mentor a junior staff at your workplace so that the young lad can unleash his gift and become a polished leader? You will leave a good legacy. Leaders grow more leaders. Successful people are good teachers. They know that if their life’s achievements end with them, they have made an empty victory. If you are in medicine, why not volunteer at a local hospital and treat people pro bono? If you are an accountant, why not commit part of your time to serving your local church to prepare budgets and accounts for free? If you have writing skills, why not write motivational articles, share them with others, and bring hope to the hopeless? Great leaders do not hesitate to use their gifts and influence for the benefit of others. Success does not appear in one part of life and becomes exempted or extinct in another. There should be congruence. You do it as a whole. Have you not heard before that ‘. . . once a soldier always a soldier?’ This is the signature of leadership. Leadership is an attitude. Leadership is a commitment. Leadership is a way of living. Leadership is a person’s philosophy.
As leadership and motivational speaker, Myles Munroe, rightly observed, “. . . life is not measured by its duration but by its contribution.” If you are to leave and be with the high-power today, what will people pick and point at as your contribution towards making the life of a fellow man or woman better? What will people remember you for?
If you have not yet impacted your community, it is not too late. Start today. Start small. It starts by being aware of who you are, discovering your life’s purpose, your potential, and serving others. Every human being was born with a gift. Discover your gift, today. Serve the world for humanity. Your value on earth will not be determined by how many degrees or qualifications you received from business schools, what position you hold at your workplace, what type of car you drive, or what size of house you live in. Your value on earth will be determined by the number of problems you would have solved for the benefit of other people using gifts that the high power gave you. Nothing more. As the wise from the East asserted; “. . . the value of life is not in the duration but in the donation.” You need to reflect on your life. What type of legacy do you want to leave after you are gone? What will you be remembered for? Will people remember you for the number of lives you touched or the expensive cars you drove? The starting point is to ask yourself a simple question: if you were to attend your own funeral, today, what would you like mourners to say about you?
You can also influence others merely with words. Be careful with what you say. Words have the power to make or break others. Words can inflict deep hurt or encouragement. Be a person who is quick to encourage others. Are you building others up or tearing them down with your words? Words have a creative or destructive power, depending on how you use them. Choose the words that you say carefully. Your words can bring death to someone, continuous enmity, war to a nation, or perpetual poverty to a family. Do not be like some Hollywood superstars, who swear every twenty seconds for no apparent reason. Be a person of meaning. Say words that lift other people’s spirits up when in need. Compliment people. Appreciate other people’s work. Say ‘. . . thank you’ and ‘. . . please’.
Yes, you can bless people in many ways. It could be as simple as giving a smile to a stranger, . . . helping an elderly woman with transport from one point to another, . . . paying a parking fee for someone, . . . paying nauli ya dala-dala (bus fare) for the person sitting next to you. You can recite a prayer for those affected by floods, war, famine, or marital trouble. Wish someone to experience the things that you want to see happening in your own life.
You need not necessarily help your next-door neighbour. The ancient book of wisdom has a story about a man, who was attacked and left to die by the road. Three people went on that road. The first two went by without giving help to the injured person. The two were locals. It took the heart of a foreigner, who happened to be the third person to travel on that road, to offer help. It is reported that when the foreigner - Samaritan - saw the injured person, he felt pity for the man, dismounted immediately from his donkey, provided first aid, put the injured person on his donkey, and took him to the nearest inn, where he collaborated with an innkeeper to save the life of the injured person. Life is like that. Sometimes, you will be involved in life-saving missions to or for people not known to you, even far away from your country. You may be the only ‘Samaritan’ in your community or area with the type of expertise required at that particular time and for that life-saving mission. You have an obligation to serve humanity and save lives.
There may be people in other countries, who are in danger, experiencing life-threatening conditions, or in dire need of help. Think about the orphaned, the elderly, the sick, the displaced, the oppressed, the marginalized, the voiceless, and the poor. You may not be in a position to help in a way the rest of the world is responding. Why not offer a prayer for those people? Say your prayer with faith. Never discount the power of prayer. Prayers do not know distance or boundaries.
Sometimes a simple conversation with a boy in the street can change the way he perceives the world. The conversation can lift him up and make him look at himself differently. He may reach a level that he never dreamed of reaching in his life. There are many ways you can touch people in your world.
Oftentimes, we think that because we are not a manager, a priest, or someone with authority, we do not have the ability to influence a huge audience of people. This is not true. It does not matter what your job or role is. You have the potential to bring change to your world. You have skills that are lacking somewhere by someone. Take every person, every situation, and every conversation that comes your way as an opportunity for your growth or source of service. You need to focus on the needs of others. No act of generosity is small. Mother Teresa said it wisely, “. . . not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Powerful. You never know what kind of impact the things that go unnoticed can have on other people. Consider Gandhi, who had no position in any political party in India. But when a situation that required leadership popped up, he stood up, rallied people around him, and changed the political landscape of India. You and I are capable of impacting others, for the better, with small acts of generosity.
Views from the top are that we are all called upon to serve others. Be willing to serve without actually drawing benefits. No one is a success until you learn to serve another person. You cannot realize happiness in life until you help another person. As Helen Keller aptly put it, “. . . happiness comes through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” Find your life’s purpose. Commit to it. You will realize greatness and happiness. The greatest reward of all comes when we serve others, . . . when we make the lives of others count, better, lighter, and more joyful. The greatest measure of leadership is service to others. Make a difference in the universe, today. Oh lest I forget - to lead is to serve. Serve humanity.
Lester Chinyang’anya | General Manager – Operations | Minet Malawi
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