“You cannot make it as a wandering generality. You must become a meaningful specific” was one of those knock-you-off-your-feet messages that I heard Zig Ziglar say from the stage more than 20 years ago. And I remember thinking about it at the time trying to determine what it really meant to be a “meaningful significant.”
More important, did that mean at the time that I was probably more like a “wandering generality” and if so, what was I going to do about it?
The statement had knocked me off balance, enough to distract me a little during Zig’s motivational speech. Then he grabbed my attention again with another “gotcha” kind of statement when he started talking about moving from success to significance. Although he was on stage for about an hour and shared so much in the way of powerful content, on that day I was focused on these two messages and their meaning in my own life.
Become a meaningful specific instead of being a wandering generality and moving from success to significance. The net of this for me was that I needed to start living with purpose, and when I did, when I made the commitment to change, my life would be forever transformed for the better in so many ways.
Over the years I have met so many people who have also made the change and commitment to a purpose-filled life, and I have also met people who never needed to make the shift, they were born that way or raised in a family or surrounded by people that set the example to live as a meaningful specific.
Our communities are filled with people who make a difference, who volunteer their time, give of themselves, and just make this world a better place for all of us. They truly understand what it means to move from success to significance. And by the way, age and status are not the qualifiers when it comes to being successful or significant. I love the stories I read about or see on television where an 8-year-old is raising money or championing a cause, truly significant.
Sometimes we are so moved by an event, another person, or our own personal situation that it inspires us to make the commitment to doing something more meaningful or significant in our lives or with our life. And other times it has been a growing feeling, something inside of us that keeps tugging at our hearts until one day the feeling becomes so strong that we are compelled to act upon it.
To me it is a little ironic that I am writing this column while I am on vacation. But as I was sitting on the beach this week with my family, I found myself getting re-energized about what I would be doing once my vacation was over. What were the projects I needed to attend to, who are the people I need to contact, and where was I in relation to the near-term and long-term goals I had set for myself? This line of thinking was not stressful or out of the ordinary for me, it was actually the opposite and quite calming and productive as I allowed myself the time to think.
Whether you are at the beach or in the mountains, on a cruise or near a lake, at work or on vacation, you should allow yourself some time to think about how you live with purpose and how you may want to move from being a “wandering generality” and make the leap towards being a “meaningful specific.” And what you will find out is that you, yes you, have already taken the next step towards moving from success to significance.
I would love to hear your “meaningful specific” stories at gotonorton@gmail.com and I hope that this week will be a better than good week as you find yourself living with just a little more purpose.
Michael Norton, a resident of Highlands Ranch, is the former president of the Zig Ziglar organization and CEO and founder of www.candogo.com