How Different Would The World Be Without You?

Here’s what I know for sure:

All of us have potential and possibility.

It lies in all of us. The potential to do something that matters. The potential to say something that stirs the mind, heart, and soul to change. The possibility to create something that has never been seen. The possibility to learn something new. The potential to be a better you. The potential to do the impossible. We ALL have it. You. Me. Us.

But for many of us, this potential and possibility remains asleep… just waiting. Waiting on us. Waiting on us to notice our own worth. Waiting on us to challenge ourselves. Waiting on us to care. It lies asleep. Just waiting. And every now-and-then, someone comes along crazy enough to stir their own potential to life. We call these people geniuses, talented, creative, successful, leaders, etc. We label them as if they are a rare breed. And all the while, our own potential remains asleep. Just waiting.

I look at all the people who’ve gone on to do great and epic things in their lifetime, and I think of what would have happened if they hadn’t awakened the possibility in themselves. Who would they be? Where would they be? And who would we be as a result of them not awakening their potential?

Who would we be if people like Oprah, Martin Luther King Jr., Michael Jackson, Mother Teresa, Jesus, Gandhi, Tyler Perry, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mya Angelo, J.K. Rowling, S. Truett Cathy, Walt Disney, Billy Graham, and millions of others hadn’t awakened the possibility in themselves? How would our music sound? What TV shows would we NOT have? What freedoms would certain races and ethnic groups not possess? Who and what would we believe? What would technology look like? What would we eat? What would replace all the Disney movies? Who would be the greatest entertainer in history? Who would people look to as great examples of humanitarians?

The world would be different.

We would be different.

 You would be different.

I would be different.

I think we focus so much on the end result of those who decided to awaken possibility in themselves, that we overlook the possibility of what the world would have looked like if they had not. It saddens me that so many people die with their song tucked away in their hearts with them in the grave… never to be heard. I ask myself often, what would the world look like if more of us decided to awaken our own possibility; if each of us decided to really LIVE and SHINE rather than settle for jobs, paychecks, and mediocre lives? How different would we be? How much better would we be? As Oprah would say, “Your purpose is to live out the fullest expression of yourself in the earth.” In other words, GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT!

Think for a second: “How different would the world be without you?”

Stop and actually think about that.

…

…

…

Better yet, here’s a better question: “How different WILL the world be with YOU?”

This isn’t about going to college, finding a career you like, getting a job that pays well, or how to live happily ever after. This is about YOU. This is about ME. This is about US. NOW. This is about what the world WILL or WILL NOT look like in the next 5 years, 10, years, 20 years, 50 years, 100 years… because of US. Because of you. Because of me.

I’ll leave you with this quote to ponder:

“Whatever we choose or not choose to do today will create our world tomorrow. The choice begins with you. Choose to wake up.”