A Wonderful Life

A reader recently asked me, “If you could be someone else, who would it be and how would you reshape history and the world?”

I answered, “I would still choose to be myself.  Not out of conceit, but from being happy with who I was created to be in order to uniquely reshape the history in my own small part of the world.”  (Thank you, Sonja M, for your awesome, thought-provoking question!)

That made me really consider the people in my sphere of influence and questioning if I’m doing my job to its fullest.

This year brought both challenging and wonderful changes for me personally, the main one being the ability to quit my day job and write fulltime for the very first time.  But with this blessing came an even bigger responsibility when it expanded my sphere of influence through my stories now sold throughout the world.  I needed to once again evaluate whether I’m doing my job properly by inspiring others and giving them love and hope, or just wasting their time and money.

This is the time of year usually set aside to giving thanks for all of our blessings, and I must admit that I’ve never been more grateful for my life, my family and my friends, both old and new.

Times change.  Jobs and homes and styles and stuff will eventually go by the wayside and turn to dust.  It’s the love and the hope and inspiration we give to others that is of greatest value and will continue long after we “throw off this mortal coil.”

So have I contributed my fair share into positively shaping this world’s history, no matter how small?  If so, then like George Bailey in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, I will be the most blessed and richest person on earth.

All my love to you,

ADDISON CARMICHAEL