Napoleon Hill, Martin Luther King Jr, and Fred the mailman;

Here’s another thought from The Fred Factor by Marc Sanborn. It’s a thought that another author, Napoleon Hill would find very close to his heart. “Nobody can prevent you from choosing to be exceptional. A the end of the day, the only question that matters is, what kind of difference did you make?” (Page 8)

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts in heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

King’s quote is truly moving and vivid; Napoleon Hill said something similar with a a bit of brevity. Napoleon Hill is credited with saying, “If you cannot do great things do small things in a great way.” I could not find this quote in Hill’s great book Think and Grow Rich but I have no doubt that Hill would enjoy that quote. It would not be surprising to find that neither King nor HIll said those things, but as with all great people, there is a rhyme to these quotes. They all point in the same direction; they all make us look the same place.

The place to look for meaning is inside ourselves. The difference we make in the world is one place where we can all find meaning. Remember the great people that have come before you; realize that you can re-create the world as you see fit. Think of the change in the world that Napoleon Hill made writing Think and Grow Rich. Think of the difference Martin Luther King Jr. made with his words. Think of the difference that Fred the mailman makes when he takes the time to protect someone’s privacy by holding their mail while they are on vacation.

Remember to make a positive difference in the lives of others today. Through peaceful contentment, service is it’s own reward.