What Are You Waiting For?

Have you ever seen a movie that moved slowly or was somewhat boring, was pretty predictable or had a lackluster plot, had little to no action or didn't have much to look at, had acting that left a lot to be desired, had a flat dialog, or for all intents and purposes on an artistic scale you would give it a very low rating, but for some reason you still liked the movie? Sometimes the story is bigger than the movie. Sometimes the art form is uninspiring, but the message is very inspiring. I recently saw a movie like that (OK, it didn't have all those bad traits.)

The movie was "based on a true story." Unlike most movies with that subtitle, this one did not seem to veer far from reality much at all. Maybe that's why it didn't make for an exciting movie; real lives aren't like the movies.

Of course some celebrity lives are presented to us as never-ending dramas. This week three big celebrities passed away. Up until the very end of their lives they always seemed to give the media fodder for a story. However you personally felt about the way they lived their lives, hopefully in some way they touched your life for the better.

That's what made the aforementioned movie worth watching: it was about a man who made other lives better. He started out a frustrated and angry person, but then had a life-changing experience. He now goes around the world on speaking engagements telling his story and trying to lift others. He and his wife established and run an orphanage in Africa for children whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS (lost parents to it, have it themselves, etc.) He hasn't touched millions of lives (yet) like those three celebrities, but he has touched thousands. He mentions in the extra footage on the DVD that we don't have to touch millions of lives, we just need to start where we're at. That's exactly what he did. He didn't start out to change the world, he started out to change himself.

Everyone's sphere of influence is different. But even if you can influence just one person's life for the better, you've accomplished something remarkable, even if that one person is you. So pay it forward, do a random act of kindness, be a good Samaritan, perform unselfish service, pick up the phone and call an old friend, etc. It doesn't have to be grand or spectacular or exciting. Don't worry about how big or small the act is. Most often it's the small acts that mean the most anyway. Whatever it is, whatever it takes, just do it and do it now.

So . . . what are you waiting for?