Sunday, January 18, 2009

Follow Up: Setting Goals - Part II


About a week ago, I wrote about a conversation I had with a classmate about his goals and concerns about doing something meaningful.  Since then, I've been thinking about that on almost a daily basis, trying to come up with suggestions or examples that he may want to investigate.  

The last night, as I waited on my wife to get ready for dinner, I found myself watching movie previews on TV.  One came up for "Horton Hears a Who", with Jim Carrey providing the voice of Horton.  In an interview, Jim Carrey is talking about his mental approach to the character, and the character's viewpoint on the world.  (NOTE - I wish I could find the interview video online, but I haven't had any luck yet.  Will post it if I can find it.)

About half way through the interview, Carrey talks about making a difference in the world.  He said that people tend to get caught up in the notion that they must do something spectacular, but he disagreed and believe that each of us has the opportunity to make a huge impact by just doing small, positive things on a daily basis.  How we treat people at work.  How we treat our neighbors.  His point was the ripple effect of somehow making somebody's life a little better through a positive attitude, positive feedback and other little things. 

Makes sense to me.  It's funny where good advice or viewpoints can come from.  Sometimes it's a work experience.  Sometimes it's the classroom.  Sometimes it's a comedian and a cartoon.  


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