CHAPTER 13

THE(IR) PURPOSE IN (YOUR) LIFE

We’ve all heard the old saying, “Everyone has a purpose in life.” We usually shrug it off as something that’s said to make us feel good—and go on believing we’re really not all that significant in the larger scheme of things. That might be true on the surface. However, what if your purpose is to affect the life of the person who affects the life of the person who affects the life of the person who does transform the world on a larger scale? And without you, they wouldn’t be able to fulfill their purpose—which would cause the world to suffer the consequences.

                What if your decision to say something nice to a stranger prevents him from going home to his “miserable” life and taking out his frustrations on his wife? This prevents the argument that would have ended in a domestic dispute. That frees up the cop who would have had to take that call. He’s now able to prevent the robbery and murder of a special doctor. This special doctor was scheduled to deliver a child who only would have survived under his specialized care. This child grows up and changes the world for the better­—on a significant scale.

                You saved the world by deciding to be nice to a stranger. In that moment, you fulfilled your purpose. I wonder how many times “Average Joes” have saved the world.