A gentleman came to see me the other day and asked how he could set up a business to help the less fortunate with the little savings he had. Hitherto he concluded he was far from living a meaningful life and it was about time he did something meaningful. He did not know much about business but he realised that before God calls him home, he had to do something meaningful. As a financial planner, I was rather concerned about his ability to finance his retirement, let alone thinking about going into business to help others. However, he too believed that helping a person to fish and hence be able to survive a bit longer is better than giving a fish to survive for a day only. He said he wanted to make a difference in the lives of others and ultimately in his own life too.

So, what about us? Are we living a meaningful life and making a difference in our daily lives today by reviewing what we have not done that we should have done that could have really made a difference in our relationships with loved ones, friends, business associates, customers, suppliers and a host of others that we meet everyday? Words spoken or written in anger, actions we regret, money and time wasted, and many other things done that add up to nothing and leaving a legacy that we have nothing to be proud of. If others have hurt us and there is unforgiveness in us, are we ready and prepared to forgive and forget? Doing so will not only make a difference in our life but will also serve to positively affect the party whom we have been estranged.

This short article hopefully will be the start of many to come as my way of starting to make a difference in touching lives by sharing a thought or two, some interesting educational and news items, useful business and financial information and tips, and yes, even links to items of interest to buy or sell so that we can stretch the diminishing value of the dollar in our pockets.