“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” – Kahlil Gibran [Tweet this.]
Are you living with purpose today?
Have you ever been with someone so passionate about life that it’s contagious?
Have you ever met someone so fired up about what they do, what they say and who they are that it actually ignites you, too?
You’ve likely experienced this in the nurse who gave you astounding care, the teacher who gave your child extra attention during a difficult time or the volunteer who makes giving of self look effortless.
My friend, there is no secret code in their DNA that makes them more passionate then the rest of us. Today, I challenge you to own the truth that you can live with contagious passion too. [Tweet this.]
Let me explain.
People who deliver every action and word with enthusiasm, passion and purpose all have one thing in common: They’ve clearly defined the purpose of their lives.
In knowing their purpose (I often call their purpose their “why” … why they go to work, why they volunteer, why they cook for their spouse), they have a compass guiding them to take actions, speak words and do deeds that boldly move them toward their life’s mission.
This fall I met a person like this. Today, I am sharing her story as a reflection for the Rising Above community as we dive further into our topic for December: Living the holiday season with the end in mind and focusing on living real, authentic success each day [read my blog that kicked off this topic here].
Sarah Endline is the “Chief Rioter” at an entrepreneurial chocolate company in New York City sweetriot. She and I met this fall at an event I spoke at and from our brief time together, I was taken by the clarity with which she lives her life and manages her business.
Sarah grew up next to a cornfield in a small Michigan town, she has travelled the world singing, working and volunteering, she has worked for Yahoo!, Microsoft and the World Bank. Through these experiences Sarah got clear on a number of her priorities in life and, in doing so, created a business around these priorities that allow her to do the work that she “loves best” each day. Here are a few of her priorities I gathered from the interview I did with her to share her story with you:
- Sarah has a passion for cacao and it’s rich flavor, story and history rooted in Latin America (photo above is Sarah with a cacao farming partner in Latin America).
- Sarah is committed to being socially responsible in life and in business.
- Sarah wants to create a more just world for all; she empower others to do the same through her products.
- Sarah believes that companies are really just the people who work there – and it is the unique character of those people that will make the company successful.
[Read my complete interview with Sarah here.]
In hearing Sarah’s story today, I challenge you to ask yourself: What are my actions creating today? Am I creating a life in which I can give of myself each day? How am I impacting the world? Sharing history? Letting others express themselves in my company, on my team and in my family so that we can reach greater success together?
Sarah wants to encourage the Rising Above community to continue boldly as we take back our lives, ignite our possibility and change our world together. During the rest of December:
- Take my Spark! 21 Day Challenge to ignite your possibility, share a photo of your daily challenges and include #SparkChallenge on Facebook and Twitter to be entered to win a sweetriot gift set. (Winner will be announced 12/31.)
- Every Rising Above e-Store order will come with a sweetriot sample for you and one for a friend.
- Get 30% off any purchase at www.sweetriot .com with code JohnOlearyRiot.
My friend, this holiday season remember what really brings joy, what success really looks like and what you can do to really make a difference. When you live with purpose each day, and give fully of yourself in your words and actions, you’ll unwrap the gift of a truly successful life.
The gift of that possibility awaits you today. Open yours now.
Leave a Reply