Years ago, I remember being in one of the toughest times in my life, driving down the freeway in the middle of the night. I kept asking, \u201cWhat do I need to do to turn my life around?\u201d Suddenly an insight came to me, accompanied by such intense emotion that I was compelled to pull my car off the road immediately and write down one key phrase in my journal: \u201cThe secret to living is giving.\u201d
\nThere\u2019s no richer emotion I know of in life than the sense that who you are as a person, something you\u2019ve said or done, has added to more than just your own life, that somehow it has enhanced life\u2019s experience for someone you care about, or maybe someone you don\u2019t even know. The stories that move me most profoundly are about people who follow the highest spiritual emotion of caring unconditionally and acting for others\u2019 benefit. When I saw the musical Les Miserables, I was deeply moved by the character of Jean Valjean, because he was such a good man who wanted to give so much to others. Each day we should cultivate that sense of contribution by focusing not only on ourselves, but on others as well.
\nDon\u2019t fall into the trap, though, of trying to contribute to others at your own expense\u2014playing the martyr won\u2019t give you a true sense of contribution. But if you can consistently give to yourself and others on a measurable scale that allows you to know that your life has mattered, you\u2019ll have a sense of connection with people and a sense of pride and self-esteem that no amount of money, accomplishments, fame, or acknowledgment could ever give. A sense of contribution makes all of life worthwhile. Imagine what a better world it would be if all of us cultivated a sense of contribution!
\nTony Robbins. \u201cAwaken the Giant Within.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Years ago, I remember being in one of the toughest times in my life, driving down the freeway in the middle of the night. I kept asking, \u201cWhat do I need to do to turn my life around?\u201d Suddenly an insight came to me, accompanied by such intense emotion that I was compelled to pull …<\/p>\n