Don Roulo is the CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Life Quest. He is a life, career and business coach as well as a Certified 48 Days Workshop Facilitator. He travels nationally and internationally to conduct business and career training as well as marriage and family workshops.

By DON ROULO

Just before Christmas my family and I were blessed to spend some quality time together in our favorite vacation spot in Tennessee – Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We love the mountains for hikes, the history and of course the food.

We took several great hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In many places there is the same sign as you get ready to enter an area of historic cabins or trails. The sign reads, ‘Bob was here.’ I have seen these many times over the last 20 years of visiting this area of God’s beautiful creation. I did take this time to explain the sign to my 11- and 13-year-old girls.

‘Bob was here’ talks about the visitors who ‘leave their mark’ by scratching their names, initials or graphics on the historic cabins or even the boulders of the mountains. We discussed how unfortunate we thought it was that people had to ‘leave their mark’ is such a way as to denigrate historic structures and even God’s perfect creation of nature. It saddened us to see such things in several places we went.

As my wife and I continued to walk together and were discussing this issue it dawned on me to write this week’s article about ‘leaving your mark.’ My wife and I were sharing how some people must think the best way to leave their mark in this world is by writing their names, carving their initials or drawing graffiti on things which have lasted hundreds and thousands of years.

I believe there is a yearning in the hearts and souls of each human being to leave a mark. In other words, leave a legacy of accomplishment which changes another human being, a family, a community and even the world. We all have an inner desire to make a difference and live a life of significance. Our desire to live a life of significance can be enhanced and even nurtured by others. It can also be suppressed or even destroyed by others if we let it.

Do not let others cut down your desire to make a difference in the lives of those you come into contact with. Do not listen to the voices in the present or the past which have said you don’t matter or the things you say and do don‘t matter. Each of us has been put on this earth to make a difference and live a life of significance.

We can leave a mark which is either positive or negative. As I walked through the mountains in Tennessee and I would see the graffiti on the boulders and trees I thought this is certainly a negative way to leave your mark. However, I would look at the cabins which were built over 150 years ago and see the ingenuity of our forefathers; I thought what a great mark to leave for generations to come. You can visibly see the commitment and the hard work they put in to make a community which not only functioned, but one which thrived and prospered.

We will all leave a mark and live a life of significance. We must believe this and act in ways which will leave the generations to come looking back with awe and wonder as to what we accomplished even during trying or difficult times. You will leave your mark. There is no doubt about it. As you are thinking about the New Year and years to come – what kind of mark will you leave?

About the Author
Don Roulo is a life, career and business coach as well as a Certified 48 Days Workshop Facilitator. He travels nationally and internationally to conduct business and career training as well as marriage and family workshops.

As a business consultant, he has written business plans and worked to market products or services as well as organizing financial statements for investors. Because of his success in the sales and business arena, Don has been blessed with the opportunity to train, motivate and inspire others. His passion is to motivate and equip people to find their passion and achieve their goals and God given destiny.