Props to Terrence J who just came back from a life-changing trip to Haiti. He spent 3 days in Port-Au-Prince meeting & working with the victims of the devastating earthquake. He wrote an open letter to the YBF detailing his trip, and plans to go back next week, then to Europe to meet with UN ambassadors to see what more can be done to help.  Haiti STILL needs our help, people!! Click here to donate.

With a roof, food, clean water, and clothes on our backs we are more fortunate than millions. If you are reading this online you are one of the privileged. Please ask yourself, what are you giving back to the world for your blessings? You don’t have to be Oprah, Wyclef, or Angelina Jolie to make a positive impact on others. If it’s making an extra sandwich and giving it to the homeless person you always see on the subway, or volunteering with children whose parents can’t afford tutoring, you and your friends can create your own personal missions if you just try.

When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.

Unfortunately, that’s too rare a commodity. A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem.

The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.

- Steve Jobs

Think Different from gchavezpooley on Vimeo.

They say it’s impossible, but what does that really mean? They say it’s impossible, but what do they know?

You can dream, you can plan, you can learn, you can think and you can do. Do you realize what a powerful position that puts you in? Do you? With it, you can transform what’s impossible into rock-solid reality. And you can start right now, where you are, with whatever you have. No more excuses.

You have value. Great value. Unique value. Something in you knows that. Listen to it. Act on it. Let it flow out from you. You have a beautiful gift to give the world, and in the giving of that gift you will enjoy sweet and satisfying fulfillment.

If you could feel exactly the way you wanted to feel, exactly how would that be? Feel it right now. Give yourself a little taste. Then get busy and fill your whole life, your whole world with that feeling that comes from the best of who you are.

Sure, it would be easier to sit around, do nothing, be comfortable, listen to the naysayers and let your beautiful, unique value go to waste. But easy is overrated. Greatness is what you deserve. Your own special greatness is waiting for you to take the risks, to do the work, to make the effort, to forget that it’s considered impossible, and to bring it gloriously to life.

By Ralph Marston