What do all these people have in common besides being famous and successful?

Michael Jordan, Yo Yo Ma, Paula Abdul, Albert Einstein, Michael Jordan, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Sonia Sotomayor, J.K. Rowling, Martin Luther King, Jr.

What all these people have in common is that they found their “one thing,” their purpose in life, and pursued it with passion.

For Michael Jordan it was basketball, for Yo You Ma it is the cello, for Paula Abdul it is singing, for Albert Einstein it was the theory of relativity, for Michael Jackson it was singing and dancing, for Bill Gates it is computer software, for Barack Obama it is public service, for Sonia Sotomayor it is the law, for J.K. Rowling it is writing, for Martin Luther King, Jr. it was racial equality.

Each of these people found the “one thing” above all else that was important to them and they pursued it with everything they had, without giving up, keeping their goal in mind even when everything was going wrong.

When they found their “one thing” and pursued it with passion they made something of themselves and made a difference in the world.

So how do you discover your “one thing” and pursue it with passion?

I don’t have a pat answer because the road to discovering your “one thing” is different for everyone. Everyone’s life is unique. Everyone’s interests and abilities are different. But here are some important questions to ask that will start you on your journey of discovery:

• What is important to me?
• What am I willing to sacrifice for?
• What has changed me that I can pass on to others?
• What unique talent, ability, perspective, do I have that will make a difference in the lives of other people?
• What was I created to do?
• What gifts and abilities do other people see in me?
• What do I want people to remember me for when I am dead?

When I asked these questions of myself I discovered that my “one thing” is the telling of stories of healing, wisdom, and faith that help people on their journey to wholeness.

I have been pursuing my “one thing” for several years now. I am far from famous or powerful, but I know I have made at least a small difference in the lives of many people. If I die today, the world will be a better place because I pursued my “one thing.”

How about you? What’s your “one thing?” Are you willing to pursue it with everything you’ve got?

A thousand candles can be lit from just one candle; the life of the candle is not shortened. The Buddha

Your past is not your future when you find your “one thing” and pursue it with passion.

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Next time: Your past in not your future when you live one day at a time with faith in your Higher Power.