“The vulture and the little girl”, also known as “The Struggling Girl”, is a famous photograph by Kevin Carter, a South African photojournalist, which first appeared in The New York Times on 26 March 1993. It is a photograph of a frail, famine-stricken boy, initially believed to be a girl, who had collapsed in the foreground with a vulture eyeing him from nearby. The child was reported to be attempting to reach a United Nations feeding centre, about a half mile away in Ayod, now South Sudan, in March 1993. The picture won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography award in 1994. Outcries were raised about ‘how inhumane the photographer was’ and that ‘he should have dropped the camera and helped the child’. Four months after winning the prize, Carter wrote a note saying he was depressed with his memories of suffering seen in Sudan and took his own life. As a recipient of the ‘Pulitzer prize,’ the world called him successful, but his suicide was proof, that the joy of prizewinning could not override the depression caused by his memory of not helping the child in the photograph.

The world measures success by your achievements and the amount you have in your bank account. But, lives like that of Kevin Carter proves that, even with these, you may still live your days, with emptiness inside. Former President of South Africa, the late Nelson Mandela says, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead”.

“Ordinary men pursue positive, progressive change in their lives alone…The Extraordinary live, whereby; the impact of their life will change others”

YOHAN PHILIP in “The Pursuit of Extraordinary

The term significance, in this context, is used to denote the impact your life makes – in the society you are part of, the organization you work in, or even the home you share with your family. It is decided by the amount of positive change you can bring, into the lives of the people around you, and not by the amount of money you have.

Today, the majority of people are focused on chasing success alone but, success does not always guarantee significance. We have to aim at making this difference. Our calling is not limited to working, earning, paying bills and later on, passing away. Each of us has an innate calling to do ‘good’ and to make a positive difference in lives around us.

Let me share a few matters worth consideration if we want to make our lives significant

1. Every person living has the potential to impact the lives of others. Educated or not, rich or poor, employed or otherwise,…whatever a person’s lot in life is – he or she will influence and impact others. Whether the impact is positive or not is decided by, what we desire and decide for our impact to be.
2. The sphere of impact widens as you go higher in life. The first and foremost way in which this happens is by the example you set. Any place you are in, every day of your life, somebody is looking to you and consciously or unconsciously copying something. Ensure that the impact your example creates will be positive.
3. Planned investment of time is required, if positive change in the lives of others is aimed at. The lives of many wayward children can be attributed to parents, who didn’t invest time into impacting their lives positively. Many a broken family could trace the cracks that came, to the non investment of time into the relationship. Many today, are busy working extra time so as to achieve success – in their financial standing, careers and life. They sometimes achieve this only to find that the price paid wasn’t worth it.

Think about this. There is no substitute for the joy, the sight of your daughter in her school play, can give. There can be no substitute for the support; your presence gives your child. But there is a time when both of these are possible and another when these become impossible. Regardless of the number of successful projects or deals you have completed, the company you worked for will not leave your position vacant after you resign or retire. They will find a replacement. But your family will not be able to find a substitute for you. Your spouse and children can be impacted by none else but you. Choosing what to invest your time into should be a carefully thought out decision because it has the power to impact others positively or otherwise.

• Think in terms of people, not success. For many, people are like scaffolding. Things you step on, to get to the top and then, remove from the scene because you can’t find use for them. But people are ‘People’. Treating them any other way will impact them negatively. Give value to them. Treat them with love and respect. Encourage them. Whenever you can, open doors for them through which they could go forward and upward. Criticize constructively, not destructively. Be patient with others. Think how you would feel if what you say or do was directed at you – then act.
• Every season in life brings experiences and lessons. Use them to better yourself. Don’t wait for perfection, but celebrate improvement. Use your experience for the benefit of others. Spread what you know. Let your testimony that came out of the test you went through bless others. Let the message that came out of your mess inspire many. Make it a point to mentor others, who are in the season you just came through.
• Significance does not come to people in position and authority only. It does not just come to the knowledgeable and efficient. It comes to people who unselfishly act when they see opportunities to impact others.

The acts need not be large in size. Speaking a word of appreciation at the right time may save a colleague from mental depression. Being there for your children and reminding them that they are loved, no matter what their academic performance is, could save your children from suicide. Taking some time each week to spend with your aged parents, conversations with them and efforts directed at bringing them happiness, can be much more beneficial to them than any medication they are given. Donating a small part of your earnings to a charity could feed some children or pay for their education and bring lasting change. You could be a student in an educational institution, but one smile or a thank you note, you give to the janitor or other such worker at your institution, could make him feel loved and valued.

• Employing your gift the right way can lead to growth in significance. Use the influence and affluence God grants you to touch and transform lives around you. If you are a gifted teacher, don’t just teach for money. Take some time each week or even once in a month to help children who cannot afford to take tuitions otherwise. If you are part of a band, don’t just perform in concerts. Set apart a day periodically, to visit an orphanage or a senior citizens home. Performing for such who may feel unwanted and unloved, will not just bring them joy, but will also fill your heart with satisfaction.

A significant life is the one which is unselfishly sowed for many to reap…Assurance that the seed we sowed has brought a harvest to many is a key to joy and life Extraordinary”

YOHAN PHILIP in “The Pursuit of Extraordinary”

Today, the majority of people are focused on chasing success alone, and disregard opportunities to impact the lives of those around them.Acts 20:35 echoes Jesus saying “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. Luke 6:38 promises “Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you (For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you).” Galatians 6:7 again teaches “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”.

A life of significance is a life with a difference. It is a life that sows into the lives of others so as to impact them positively. In the words of Michael Josephson, renowned speaker on Ethics and founder of the Josephson Institute “A person of character seeks true happiness in living a life of purpose and meaning, placing a higher value on significance than success.”

It is the Creator’s promise that such a life will never suffer loss.

From the book “The Pursuit of Extraordinary” by YOHAN PHILIP