I’ve been refining the mission and vision statements for Trevor Allen Vision today, so my thoughts have wandered to the grand and powerful. In my research I came across an amazing quote I saved from The Graveyard Book, which I read earlier this year:

“Yes. They are. And they are, for the most part, done with the world. You are not. You’re alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything. If you change the world, the world will change. Potential. Once you’re dead, it’s gone. Over. You’ve made what you’ve made, dreamed your dream, written your name. You may be buried here, you may even walk. But that potential is finished.”

This quote takes you to your deathbed; it allows you to see. We only have the time we have, and our contribution, our mark on the universe, is our great opportunity, our great gift.

Every person is granted this. Here in Arusha, regardless of the poverty, the lack of infrastructure and education, every person is given this chance, just as much as the people living in Manhattan or Montenegro.

When you die, what will your mark be? How will the world have changed?

In the end, maybe we are all forgotten, but our deeds and actions, like waves in the sea, permeate throughout the universe forever. They will mix with the actions and energy of others for eternity.

How will we contribute? How big a wave can we make?