As I write this, I am sitting at the funeral of the man who greatly sparked my entrepreneurial spirit and attitude. I didn’t realize quite how deep an impact he’d made on my life until I was sitting here. You see, Larry had been an entrepreneur all his life…his legacy has rubbed off on me from the time I met him 25 years ago. Strangely, I hadn’t seen him in 20 years. Like a tornado, while he impacted my life only briefly, the experience is memorable for a lifetime.

Someone once said to me that people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.  As I thought about that – especially in relation to the businesses I have built over the years and the shaping of what has made me who I am, I began to think in terms of a much bigger picture that my individual existence.  The are several belief to take into consideration in order to follow the thought process:

• Everything that exists has a purpose for existing; no interaction or opportunity is without forethought and nothing that will happen is unplanned.  This holds true with the theory of intelligent design.
• There is balance in everything – for all that is good, there is evil, and vice versa.  For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction – Sir Isaac Newton
• Life is much larger than existence on an individual level; the contribution an individual makes may not come back directly to that individual, but rather, makes life as a whole better for everyone who exists (similar in thought to the butterfly effect.)

Given these theories, the following can be offered:

• Reason – people come through your life and make the sort of impact that is penetrating.  They aren’t in your life for a long time, but you never forget the impact that was made – whether for good or for evil.  Tornadoes have had that effect on people.
• Season – people come into your life and walk down that path of life with you for a time.  One of the challenges that many of us face is that we don’t know how to continue or to let go after investing in someone for a season – or being invested in for a season.  Many times, we are sad or disappointed by the change.  However, if we look carefully, we’ll see that the change brings about new opportunity.  If you think about it like a seed, a seed must die in order for something new to grow.  Sometimes, relationships will die…to gain from that, you’ve got to keep moving.
• Lifetime – these are the people who are with you through thick and thin.  These are your partners who help you make the world a little bit better each day.  Even if you don’t co-exist in the same place, you know that the two of you can count on one another for a lifetime.  Our parents and our children are often like that.  Know that, still, lifetimes end, often before we are ready for them to.  Nevertheless, we’ve got to keep on moving.

While change is hard, there are always things to be thankful for. There are always opportunities to be optimistic, look at things on the bright side or find the silver lining.  Just like there have been people in your life who were there for a reason, a season or a lifetime, you are in others’ lives, making the same impacts.  While you are there, make a point to make an extraordinary impact.  make a difference.  Enrich their lives.  While it may not impact your life, directly, it will certainly make the world a better place.

Aepiphanni Business Consulting: The Business Strategy People is an Atlanta, Georgia based Operations Management and Business Strategy Consulting Firm dedicated to serving the needs of small to medium sized business leaders. We help business leaders DESIGN| CREATE | BUILD extraordinary businesses.  We support our clients with financial management, product and service production and delivery, outsourced services management, sales & marketing and business growth.  We provide them with a number of flexible solutions to help them reach their goals.

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