How important are you to you?

Without you, how different would the world be?

Would the world be a better or worse place if you never existed?

Do you make a difference in the world around you?

Edward Everett Hale, an American author, historian, and Unitarian minister, is best known for writing, A Man Without A Country, in support of the Union during the United States Civil War.  

In 1902, just before he became Chaplain of the United States Senate, Hale wrote the following:

I am only one, but I am one.
I cannot do everything, but I can do something.
And I will not let what I can do interfere with what I can do.

How often do we whine, complain, or gripe that things aren't going our way?

In high school, one of my classmates tried out for the football team. Although he made the cut, he got very little playing time.

He told me he went home after practice one day and complained to his father that he wasn't playing and didn't enjoy being part of the team.

He said his dad told him, "You have three choices: work harder and get better, stay the same and be happy with where you are, or quit. But I didn't raise a quitter."

In hindsight, that was some fantastic life advice. You may be a single individual, but there is so much you can accomplish if you put your mind to it. 

Stop whining about what you can't do and focus on what you can do.

Leave me a comment about your thoughts on what you can accomplish independently.  Your opinions and perspectives are valuable, and I'd appreciate hearing from you.