The age of technology enables productive multitasking beyond anything we could have imagined a few years ago, and I couldn’t be more thankful for it as it has propelled me into reflection today. During my 22 mile treadmill run with buddy Adam Chaney, my iPhone provided me with hours of endless entertainment in the form of Netflix, Pandora, Facebook and YouTube. I streamed videos, music, and some motivational speakers, among which this morning included some wise words from John Maxwell. Maxwell spoke on the importance of adding value into the lives of those around us; he said that it is by investing love into others that we become most fulfilled and alive, and I couldn’t agree more.
One a personal note, there are people, both anonymous and known, who have added significant amounts of investment and value into me. Without their investments, I would not be who I am today. From the unknown scholarship and financial aid investors that covered my four-year boarding school tuition to Mr. Lowell Bryan who paid for my entire Davidson College education, I couldn’t be more grateful. These people, among others, added much value to my life, and now in turn, I will multiple the value of their investment in me by passing it on to others.
Who can you add value to today? In what ways can you affect others lives by investing in and loving them? Perhaps you need to add value to yourself and the way you think about yourself before you can add value to others, or perhaps no one invested in you the way you deserved — now is the time to change that. Value doesn’t just add to value, it multiplies itself, so be generous and giving with your valuable investments in others and start changing the world around you, one person at a time.