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I remember a song called “Everybody Is a Star” by Sly and the Family Stone and I would sometimes reflect on what goes into becoming one.  The people we remember most are the ones who are front and center or in the public light. Others are the driving forces behind them and have no interest or desire to be in the limelight.  Many people find joy in helping other people whenever and wherever they can.  Their real passion is in helping others live their dreams.  These people are the real heroes.  We can all be stars, whether we are in the limelight or not, and whether we know it or not.

There’s an expression that is often heard: “Everyone loves a winner!”
I believe: “Everyone loves the one who helps others become winners!”

One of my favorite heroes in all the world is a woman whom most of you may not have heard of, Oseola McCarty.  What a huge heart she had!  She was a washer woman who did laundry and ironing out of her home in Mississippi for a living.  Toward the end of her life, in the summer of 1995, she gave all she had earned and saved, $150,000, to be used for scholarships at the University of Southern Mississippi.  It is no wonder that she lived to the ripe old age of 91.

Once her story was told, which reminds me of the widow’s mite in the Bible, she influenced countless other people to open up their minds and hearts, and their pocketbooks.  Ted Turner gave $1 billion to philanthropy after learning about her extreme generosity.  She went on to be honored by the United Nations and to receive the Presidential Citizen’s Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian award, 300 other awards, and an honorary doctorate from Harvard University.

Read her story and you will be as humbled as I was when I first heard about it, and I am even more humbled today.  Whenever you think you are not enough, or when you begin to complain about something that you don’t have or can’t do, think of Oseola McCarty, the washerwoman from Mississippi.

The biggest and best stars are those who put others first, and give their attention to what other people need.  This is a huge message for leaders who are surrounded by other people who need their guidance and mentorship.  Don’t hold back. Start where you are.

When you help other people, you will receive a hundredfold on your generosity, and you will excel well beyond your expectations.

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