Mike's Quotes #37: Why Are YOU Here?

 “We were put on this earth FOR each other, not to HIDE FROM each other.” (9.01.14)

It's easy to "tuck ourselves away" in this life. Leave everyone else alone and be left alone. I understand that, I really do. However, if you are one that is striving to improve your life then, friend, it is basically impossible to not have an impact on those around you.

As a matter of fact, whether you realize it or not, you already do have an impact on those around you even if you think you are just "leaving everyone else alone". 

Several articles back I mentioned my belief that all of us are here for a reason. I believe that God put you here for a reason, a purpose and that your purpose involves touching the lives of those around you. I believe this to be true of everyone even though there are some that absolutely refuse to see this or fulfill their purpose while here on this earth.

I have also pointed out the fact that YOU are the only YOU in existence! There has never been anyone like you, there is no one like you now nor will there EVER be anyone like you again. You are unique! And, friend, that being true (and it is!), you add a certain "spice" or "flavor" to life that needs to be enjoyed and experienced by those around you. 

That's right...we need each other, so make sure that you don't try to "hide away" from the world. BE your gift to the world and leave a positive path that others can - and desire to - follow.

As you do so, always be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

YouTube   Live Debt Free!

When All is Said and Done (Image)

The POWER of ONE DAY! (part 6: The Day of Your Death)

In this series we have talked about many things. We have talked about events in history that most anyone would know due to the impact that it had in history. I talked about the assassination of John F. Kennedy but we could also talk about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

 

We have talked about the importance in understanding the IMPACT that each of us - YOU and I - have on those around us. What we do, either good or bad, positive or negative, can make all the difference in the world FOR the world of those that cross our paths every day.

 

We have discussed this idea and how it relates to the problem of bullying. I hope and pray that this part of the series, in particular, will be something that will help SOMEONE along the way.

 

In our last blog post I even talked about the POWER of the day of your BIRTH! Go back and read it if you haven't done so already.

 

As a matter of fact, if you haven't had the chance, take some time and read each of these that have been posted so that you can "feel" the thought behind everything that has been shared.

 

Now, today is going to be a little different. Today we are going to discuss the POWER of ONE DAY with that day being the day that you die.

 

Sounds morbid, I know but I hope you will stay with me and follow along with my reasoning.

 

Can I share something personal first? As I type this out on a Monday I do so following news that my Dad passed away last night. He had been battling with cancer and I got to visit with him last Tuesday. I'm not going to say much more about it but, please know that when I speak on this topic it is FRESH in my mind and in my thoughts, okay?

 

Yes, more than likely, the day that you die may be a sad day for those that know you. I mean, YOU HOPE SO, RIGHT? I have actually been to a few funerals where there were no more than two or three "mourners" which, to me, is a sad thing to see.

 

In reality, what I'm talking about is not actually the fact that the day of your death is so powerful as much as it is a marking of your LEGACY that is so powerful!

 

Did you notice that the picture of the tombstone at the top of this entry is BLANK? And so it is with your life, friend. Sure, you could go ahead and have your name and the date of your birth put on ahead of time - you know those. However, you do not know the day that you will die and, even though this is not "written" on the tombstone, what is said ABOUT you with that tombstone has not been written - or FINISHED being written - yet.

 

A person's death can do many things. I've seen many times where a person's death actually brought a family back together when there has been separation due to arguments or other division. Even if not that, a family is brought together and, even though the situation may be sad, the family gets to visit and catch up with what has been going on in the lives of those gathered.

 

Here's the main thing I want to address and I am not going to spend a lot of time on it: THE POWER OF THE DAY OF YOUR DEATH POINTS TO YOUR LEGACY!

 

There is POWER in what is possible to live on through the lives of your children and grandchildren. There is POWER in the influence that you are able to leave on and in the lives of those that you have had contact for a period of time.

 

Friend, we NEVER know the full impact of the lives that we have touched and we will NEVER know. However, this kind of influence and impact is often seen when people gather to remember one who has passed.

 

What about YOU?

 

Are you leaving a legacy of positive impact? Or are you leaving a legacy (yes, it is still a legacy) of "well, I'm glad to see him gone!"? That's sad, but it's real!

 

As I talked about in yesterday's entry, each and every day that you wake up and take a breath YOU have the chance for a "do-over". YOU have a chance to correct what may need to be changed concerning your legacy. Each and every day!

 

Every day YOU have the opportunity to allow your LEGACY to grow and expand to those that you may not ever even meet. It is called "the ripple effect".

 

Yes, the POWER of ONE DAY!

 

But do NOT miss this point. The one day that is being discussed in this post is a combination of each and every day that has come BEFORE the day of your death.

 

That's how this works.

 

I did not see eye to eye on a lot of things with my Dad. But I am thankful that my Dad - my father - instilled many strong and powerful characteristics that have served me well and have actually been passed along to my own sons.

 

And I believe they will be continued to be passed along and instilled for generations to come.

 

THAT'S AWESOME!

 

So, friend, take advantage of TODAY so that "that day" - the day of your death - will show "the POWER of ONE DAY" as those gathered remember your life that came before that final day.

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

 

Future You University          "Like" FYU on Facebook!          MichaelSpillman.com

 

You Write the Book

A new page in YOUR story.

It's YOUR story! And YOU are the author of that story.

No one else. Oh, others can write ABOUT you but you are the one that wrote the story in the first place. YOU are the one that provided "the storyline" for the rest of it.

And, TODAY, is another page to that story.

What will it be? What will you "write" today?

A legacy - YOUR legacy - is being written today and every day that you live.

What will YOUR story say about today?

I don't know but it's WIDE OPEN for you. Now, pick up your "pencil" and begin to write your page for today. No one else can do it for you - it's YOURS.

How awesome is that?

And, along the way, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike
"Like" us on Facebook!

Words Live on Forever

 

“Extend to each person, no matter how trivial the contact, all the care and kindness and understanding and love that you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.”
Og Mandino
1923-1996, Author

 

WOW! Powerful words that still live on today even though many years have passed by since the death of Mr. Og Mandino.

 

Words that still have an impact on anyone and everyone that reads (or perhaps hears if this was said in a recorded speech that he made at some point) them and shares them.  Hey, not only am I sharing them here, I also posted this quote on my Facebook page. Why? Because I think they are powerful and important for each of us to consider and implement in our lives.

 

Words live on forever. That, my friend, is a fact. Even the unwritten word lives on forever in the minds of those who heard them whether kind or unkind, true or untrue, sweet or sour.

 

"Like" us on Facebook!

 

You see, you leave a legacy even with the words that you speak. I hope, like me, that it causes you to stop and choose a little more carefully the words that you speak and/or write because, indeed, they will live on forever.

 

What kind of legacy will YOUR words leave behind? Here’s a hint: the same legacy that they are leaving behind even today.

 

But the good news is that you CAN change what happens from this point on regardless of what legacy has been left up to this time. Sure, it will be an uphill battle but don’t you want to leave a POSITIVE legacy? Don’t you want to leave words behind that ENCOURAGE and LIFT UP those that hear/read them now and for years to come?

 

Sure you do.

 

Start now, right now and make it your mission to leave a powerful legacy that will be a blessing to those for years to come. You CAN do it!

 

“Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)”

 

Mike

This entry was posted in Empower Network

Yes! It's Me!

Yes! It's Me!

Take a look at yourself. Go ahead. I'll wait. Go look in the mirror and take a good look.

So, I see you're back now. Well, what did you see? My guess is you picked out the blemishes and the things that you don't like about yourself. Is your nose too big? Eyes too close? Ears? Lips? Eyebrows?

Who do you look like? One of your parents? An uncle? Grandma?

Even though you might look LIKE someone else - you don't look like anyone else. Just like your fingerprints, you are unique in all the world! That's right. No one else is exactly like you.

Your family. Your life experiences. Your DNA. All of it goes in to make you who you are - not just in how you LOOK - but also in how you conduct yourself and the "fingerprint" that you leave behind as you make your way through your world.

I'm typing this up a little early. Tomorrow (when I usually would put together this blog entry) I will be sitting with a family at the hospital as their elderly father goes through some major surgery. It's going to be a rough go for him and his family. Thing is, it HAS been quite a rough go for them over the past month or so.

This elderly gentleman and his wife had celebrated their 66th anniversary not too long ago only to have her pass away within two weeks after this celebration. Wow! That's a LONG time! And they have BOTH made quite an "imprint" on their world.

As I sat through her funeral not too long ago one thing that I heard talked about over and over and over again was her smile. And she DID have quite a wonderful smile - no matter what was going on or how she felt. Several talked about how that smile - HER smile - lifted their spirits when they felt that things just weren't going to work out for them.

She left her "life's fingerprint" on many, many people in this community and far beyond.

Do other people smile? Sure they do. But not like SHE did - it was HER unique smile! No one else could smile like "Miss Margie"!

I still remember my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Huddleston. She left quite a "fingerprint" on me with her loving and caring ways. Oh, she was firm, but all of us in her class knew that she loved each one of us. She made such an impact on me that I took my wife to meet her before we got married. I had moved and lived miles away but I wanted my wife to meet her. She made that big of an "imprint" on my life.

There are others in my life and I know that there are those in your life that have left their special "fingerprint" on your life.

And so it is with YOU! You are unique! You are "uniquely you"!

Hey, has life dealt you a hard blow? Don't allow yourself to use that an excuse - use it to propel you forward in your life and understand that it is also part of what makes you "you"!

We all have a limited time on this earth. What will you do with yours? What "fingerprint" will you leave behind? What "impact" and "imprint" are you leaving as you go through your day.

There is no one like you!

So, when the world asks, after seeing your "life's imprint", "Hey, is this you?" , you can proudly say, "YES! IT'S ME!"

And, as you do so, don't forget to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Your Life's Fingerprints

YOUR LIFE'S FINGERPRINTS

Most of us understand the basic facts about fingerprints, right?

Most of us realize that no two fingerprints are alike but did you know that this was also true in regards to identical twins?

Did you also know that Koala Bears have fingerprints that can be mistaken for human fingerprints?

And, finally, did you know that injuries such as burns or scrapes will not change the ridge structure: when new skin grows in, the same pattern will come back.

These are all interesting facts, aren't they? And, they also bring about some thoughts about a different kind of "fingerprint" that we all leave behind.

I call it our life's fingerprint. The imprint, the impact that we all make on our world - yes, even you!

I know that many people feel that they have no impact on the world and that there existence doesn't matter at all and that the world would be no different if they were to disappear.

WRONG!

Yes, I know it's a movie, but let me call your attention back to that classic, "It's a Wonderful Life" starring Jimmy Stewart. You remember, don't you, that the premise of the movie is that of the character played by Mr. Stewart having the chance to see what his world would have been like had he not even been born. He found that his life DID INDEED have far greater impact than he imagined.

Now, I know of no way to do this for you. HOWEVER, I do know that it is true of your life as well as everyone else's.

Yes, there are those that leave a negative - and sometimes even an evil - impact upon the world. But there are many that impact their world with a POSITIVE imprint that reaches far beyond their imagination.

We've talked about this idea before when we've mentioned how YOUR imprint can impact generations to come without you ever even knowing about it. POWERFUL!

Now, if you noticed, I highlighted a couple of phrases in that last fingerprint fact listed above. I highlighted the words, "will not change" and "same pattern" in regards to our physical fingerprints.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THIS: We CAN change our life's fingerprints! If we don't like the impact or are not satisfied with the type of fingerprint we are leaving on our world we CAN change it and/or correct it!

Again, it's that wonderful ability we all have to make a CHOICE!

Isn't life wonderful? "As long as there is breath there is hope!" helps us to understand this each and every day.

Know this: you DO leave and you ARE leaving a fingerprint - an imprint - upon your world.

What does your "identifying mark" say about you?

Join me the rest of this week as I discuss this topic further in both my podcast and here, in my blog. Thanks for joining me today!

And, as you go through your day remember to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike