The celebrated inventor Thomas
Edison is well known for his statement: “Genius
is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” While I believe that
hard work is essential to a life of real success and fulfilment, I think that
being filled with a deep sense of inspiration and commitment to making a
difference in the world is an even more important attribute.
All of the great geniuses of the world were inspired
and driven by their desire to enrich the lives of others. When you study their lives, you will discover that this
desire became almost an obsession for most of them. It consumed them and
occupied every cell of their minds. Edison was inspired to manifest the visions
he saw on the picture screen of his imagination into reality. Jonas Salk, who
discovered the polio vaccine, was inspired to help others from suffering from
this dreaded affliction. And Marie Curie, the great Nobel Prize-winning
scientist, was inspired to serve humanity through her discovery of radium. As Woodrow
Wilson said, “You are not here to merely
make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply,
with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here
to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”
How inspired are you in
your own life? Do you jump out of bed on Monday mornings or do you simply lie
there with a sense of emptiness flooding through your body? If your level of inspiration is lower than
you know it should be, read a good self-help book or listen to a motivating
audiocassette program. Attend a public lecture by someone you admire or spend a
few hours studying the biography of one of your heroes. Start spending time
with people who are passionate about what they are doing in their lives and
dedicated to making the best out of life. With a healthy dose of
inspiration, you will quickly raise your life to a whole new plane of living.
[From Life Lessons from the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma]
Lord,
Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)
No comments:
Post a Comment