Maxwell - The power of significance: how purpose changes your life

W hat do you want in life? I believe that no matter what, deep down we all want the same thing. We want our lives to matter. We want our life stories to be of significance. We want to find our purposeour individual way of making the world a better placeand to live it to the fullest.

You have it within your power to make your life a great story, one guided by your unique purpose and leading to significance. Every person can. Regardless of nationality, opportunity, ethnicity, or capacity, each of us can live a life of significance. We can do things that matter and that can make the world a better place. I hope you believe that. If you dont now, I hope you will by the time youre finished reading this book.

Dont let the word significance intimidate you. Dont let it stop you from pursuing a life that matters. When I talk about significance, Im not talking about being famous. Im not talking about getting rich. Im not talking about being a huge celebrity or winning a Nobel Prize or becoming the president of the United States. Theres nothing wrong with any of those things, but you dont have to accomplish any of them to be significant. To be significant, all you have to do is make a difference with others wherever you are, with whatever you have, day by day.

Not long ago I read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Don Miller. He eloquently writes about seeing our lives as stories. He explains, Ive never walked out of a meaningless movie thinking all movies are meaningless. I only thought the movie I walked out on was meaningless. I wonder, then, if when people say life is meaningless, what they really mean is their lives are meaningless. I wonder if theyve chosen to believe their whole existence is unremarkable, and are projecting their dreary lives on the rest of us.

If you are reading these words and thinking to yourself, Thats me. My life is meaningless. It has no purpose. My existence is unremarkable, then I have good news for you. This doesnt have to be your story.

No matter what your beliefs are, I can tell you this. If your story isnt as meaningful or significant or compelling as you want it to be, you can change it. You can begin writing a new story, one with purpose, beginning today. Dont settle for being merely a teller of stories about significance. Decide to be the story of significance. Become the central character in your story of making a difference!

Thats what I want for you. I dont want you to be merely a storyteller of significance. I want you to be a story liver! Your story still has many blank pages. You can write on them with your life.

If youre like me and want to make a difference and have a significance story to tell by the end of your life, I can help you. Im going to show you a pathway toward identifying and pursuing your purpose. But first, you need to be willing to take an important step forward. And that comes from a change in mindset. You need to embrace responsibility for finding your purpose and being the writer of your story. Heres how:

No one stumbles upon significance. We have to be intentional about making our lives matter. That calls for actionand not excuses. Most people dont know this, but its easier to go from failure to success than from excuses to success.