Today’s inspiration for front-row Friday comes from an unlikely yet profound source: Denzel Washington. I recently came across a commencement speech by Denzel where he shared a pivotal moment from his youth. Amidst struggling in college with a 1.7 GPA, he had a life-altering encounter. A woman prophesied to him, “You’re going to speak to millions of people and travel the world. But remember, faith and putting God first is essential. Never forget it.” This conversation sparked a transformation fueled by faith, launching Denzel into a life of impact through acting while traveling the world.
Denzel went on to poetically claim; “I’ve been protected, directed, and I’ve been corrected”. These powerful words struck a chord with me because I too have felt protected by angels through poor decisions of my past. I’ve also been directed as I have had coaches my entire life. And I’ve also been corrected knowing that my faith tells me that when I get off course, I can always be guided back. But there’s more. I have been selected.
I know for a fact that I’ve been put on this earth to motivate and inspire people to get out of the balcony and live their life in the front-row. I fulfill that purpose through keynote speaking, consulting, and coaching. I’m blessed because I’ve known this was my purpose and passion my whole adult life. But what if you don’t know your purpose? What if you haven’t really thought about your purpose? You’ve been through so much in your life, and maybe you have not stopped to reflect on “am I living my life on purpose?”
Fear not, because you’re not alone on this journey! After asking our front-row fan community about their life’s purposes, the responses were nothing short of inspiring and beautifully diverse. In fact, the themes fell into one of three buckets.
1. Live in Service of Others and be kind
Spread Kindness Like Confetti: Many of you shared how your purpose revolves around altruism. Serving others at work and more importantly, serving family. I was touched by a story of a subscribers’ 96-year-old grandmother, who wanted to have, towards the end of her life, one more conversation with him.
“In all my years and life experiences, the greatest superpower in the world is kindness. Spread that light to others, and the kindness will be returned to you a hundred times over. Isn’t that just powerful? It doesn’t take much to be kind. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to be kind. In fact, if you have read my goal setting book “Is there a hole in your bucket list?” the way to patch up those holes of self-imposed obstacles is to use courage, compassion, and kindness.
2. Embrace Personal and Spiritual Growth
We’re opening up more than ever about mental wellness post-pandemic, and it’s heartening to see the stigma fade as we prioritize our mental space. In addition to taking care of yourselves with boundaries, many of you resonate with living a faith-driven life. A lot of people talked about how important living a faithful life was so that they can eventually get to heaven, which to me, would be the ultimate front-row seat. Many of you even sent me your favorite bible verses. One of my dear friends, Lisa Funk Martin, sent me this beautiful note: Every day I wake up and choose joy. I choose to smile. I choose to be a positive force. I choose to love others, even the hard ones, because I may be the only sign of our creator that they see in a day. Not every day is joy filled. Not every day is worthy of a smile. And sometimes it’s hard to be positive. But they are all a choice, and God gave me the right to choose. Thank you for sharing that with me, Lisa.
3. Live with Intention and Passion
Are you living with intention? My friend Ford Saeks wrote this, my purpose is fueled by a passion for helping others discover and unleash their potential. I believe that living with intention isn’t just about setting goals, but about making consistent choices that lead to significant outcomes, both for ourselves and for those we influence.
Just like there’s no judgment as to what your front row is, there’s no judgment as to what your purpose is. Only you can decide what your purpose is.
One final contribution from my Front-Row Friday newsletter group was this quote I want to end with by Doctor Carolyn Leaf.
“Your purpose is not the thing you do. It’s the things that happen in others when you do what you do.”
I’ve always said that when you live your best life, when you live your life in the front-row, you show up different, you walk different, you engage with others different. You don’t even realize it, but you’re shining a light for other people, and you’re illuminating the path to their front-row because of your light.
Just like Denzel, you’ve been protected, directed, and corrected. And now, realize that you have been selected to live your best purpose-driven life.
Your Head Usher,
Marilyn
