Go back in time to a moment when someone truly had a positive impact on your life. Think about when a mentor, leader, or other inspiring figure went above and beyond to really affect your trajectory in that way. A moment that might have resulted in an entirely different present for you had it gone differently.
Now imagine that person decided that they weren’t ready to help you and stayed home instead. Or they didn’t speak up when you asked for help because they weren’t sure if they were the right person to be there. Maybe they didn’t think they deserved the chance, so they waited for a “better time.”
That’s you, right now. That’s you every time you don’t go out and be the leader and mentor the world is calling upon you to be. You have gifts to give the world, and you’re hoarding them instead – worse than hoarding them, squandering them. And it isn’t about your gain, it’s about theirs.
The future versions of you, all over the world. The people that need their moment of inspiration, their spark of purpose. They need it from you. It’s not about what you deserve, it’s about what they need.
To be selfless is to step out of the shadows. Stick out your chin, squint your eyes, and don’t let those moments pass.
The Opportunity Machine 