by
marcia on Jul 22, 2010 at 5:01 PM
Filed in
Benjamin Franklin wrote that he would rather have it said about him that “he lived usefully” than “he died rich.” And he lived his life this way. Instead of seeing the world in terms of how much money he could make, Franklin saw the world in terms of how many people he could help. To Ben Franklin, being useful was its own reward. What a great way to be! Do you want to live a life that counts?It’s been said that a life that counts is determined by 3 things:
- The relationships we form. Relationships help us to define who we are and what we can become. When we interact with others we exchange energy, emotions, ideas, and values. Here are some relationship rules:
- Get along with yourself. The one relationship that you have as long as you live is yourself.
- Value people. You cannot make another person feel important if you secretly feel that he or she is a nobody.
- Make the effort to form relationships. The result of a person who has never served others is loneliness.
- Understand the reciprocity rule. Over time, people come to share reciprocal, similar attitudes toward each other.
- Follow the Golden Rule. The timeless principle of treating others the way you want to be treated.
- A life that counts is determined by the decisions that we make. Good decisions sometimes reap dividends years into the future, while bad decisions have a way of haunting us. Good decisions, along with daily discipline, yield a masterpiece of a successful life.
- And it’s determined by the experiences that we encounter. Our lives are shaped by pivotal experiences. Whether triumphs or tragedies, these experiences immerse us in emotions and challenge our convictions. We must gain the most from the experiences we encounter in life. We can do this by:
- Evaluating the experience. Learn from mistakes and victories alike. Draw upon experiences to grow and gain wisdom.
- By managing the emotional expects of experience. Teach yourself to counteract negative feelings and learn to harness the momentum of positive emotions.
- By sharing them through storytelling. Make a habit of sharing the lessons learned from the experiences that have shaped your life and your leadership.
If you’re not doing something with your life, then it doesn’t matter how long you live. A life is not measured by years lived, but by its usefulness. If you are giving, loving, serving, helping, encouraging, and adding value to others, then you’re living a life that counts.
d6f6cf38-b471-4953-a1c1-facef657340a|0|.0