The greatest gift I was ever given was my family. The day my tennis partner decided to quit was the day I met my wife. I was supposed to be in Germany that Friday night, but instead was forced to stay home because he changed his mind - he didn't want to compete anymore. Thank God he did!
"I'd like you to meet my roommate, Liane," my friend said.
The rest is history!
The day my daughter was born, was the day I was born ... again. No one prepared me for the emotions I would experience and the deep sense of responsibility I would feel. My instincts would tell me to acquire, achieve, attain. And that's what I would set out to do. I wanted to make (X) amount of money before (X) year. I visualized it every day, but never felt whole with the visual - never felt fully committed to that future plan. Achieving money never resonated with me, making me feel like a failure - I wanted my family to taste that type of financial freedom.
Then I met the man who changed it all for me. He was homeless as a boy, kicked out of his house at 16 years old, but worked his tail off to become a huge success 20 years later. The conversation I had with him altered my life forever. He reminded me that money should never be the motivational factor, but instead, a deeper emotional connection that would drive me to a nonstop fury.
"If you want to provide financial freedom for your family, then give away as much of your time as possible," he said.
This was counterintuitive to me, but I trusted his years of experience - he wasn't just talking it, he was living it every day. The second I erased money from my visual, and solely focused on helping those who wanted it ... BOOM!
It's Thanksgiving. Don't just say the words, live the meaning. What have you done this year to help those around you? Life isn't about attaining, it's about learning and sharing. Be grateful and give.
