The Importance Of Making A Difference

I have spoken at prisons and halfway houses countless times, all without charging a cent. Why? Because I remember where I came from, and I know that building others up also builds me up.

When I was at my lowest point in life, I realized that I had only ever wanted success for myself. I wanted more money, nice houses, and hey I still do! But what I was missing was that greater purpose – and it wasn’t until I found it that I was able to break my cycle of failure and despair.

Plan For Your Family’s Future

Maybe you don’t have a spouse or kids. Yet. But who knows what the future may bring? You can’t bring your money with you, so what are your plans for it?

One thing that helped me change my perspective when planning my businesses is my son, Hunter. I wanted to make sure that he not only had the best possible future, but that I could take care of him and give him access to all the things that I didn’t get. I also had a lot of time to make up.

Realizing that I wanted him to look up to me and see that I cared enough about him to ensure his stability in life is what ultimately encouraged me to strive for a better business model in my HVAC sales job, and eventually led to owning my own HVAC company. I knew that if I could show Hunter not only what success looks like, but how to make it there honestly, I would know I had done a good job as a father.

Look to your own family, and consider how you might motivate yourself to do better by ensuring your legacy – whether to kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews, or even someone whom you adopt or bring into your life to carry on your business.

Have A Positive Impact On Your Community

Have you ever been to the local ice cream parlor or restaurant and seen the picture of the little league team that says, “Thanks for sponsoring our team!”? That might seem like a small gesture, but those shop-owners put those up for a reason: It gives them a sense of pride and meaning in their community.

When you make your business, you have the potential to impact peoples’ lives and make real, effective change. Find something that matters to you and seek out how you can help!

I know businesses that sponsor food pantries, little league sports teams, school projects or activities, local parades, fairs, and more. And sure, it includes some advertising, but by helping others out you are firmly planting your roots and making meaningful connections to those around you.

On the other side of things, you are also doing something that is good for your soul and for mindfulness. One of life’s big questions is, “Why does it matter?” Well, if you take the steps to build a business, and then use that platform to help kids in your community learn how to play sports, participate in events, or get food when they couldn’t, you are improving others’ lives. And each person you help out is another branch of help you are extending into the world.

By building up a community, you can have a business in a place where you would want to do business.

Make It Your Own

The overall goal in business, of course, is to make money. But owning a business is more than just owning a money factory – it’s owning a real institution that provides jobs for people, services or goods that people need, and your key to leaving a lasting – positive – impact on the world around you.

I have found that if you are kind to the world around you, the world around you tends to be kind back!

To find out more about our training options: schedule Weldon Long for your next event, or sign up for his Power of Consistency online learning platform.