The Greatest Gift of all….
is happening to me!

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is."

Albert Einstein

Passion:

I’ve been thinking a great deal about passion and the meaning it’s had in my life. So I wrote this little piece. It’s really a story about me and my “CHANCE” meeting of a stranger who “lit my fire” and changed the course of my life. And now I hope to share that gift with others by paying it forward.

You see, I'm on a personal mission......attempting to fulfill a part of my life that’s been missing for a very long time.....While the journey started (many years ago) with just “the seed of an idea” it burns deep inside of me every single day. That idea has turned into a large and ever-present question: What can I do "to make a difference" in the lives of others?

A Debt of Gratitude

In 1957, I was a small boy growing up and playing on the inner city streets of N.Y. I was exposed to "stuff" that most parents today would, given a similar scenario, probably not want to know about. I was becoming a “street wise” kid though I didn’t know it at the time. During that period, a friend of mine introduced me to a man who would be responsible for changing the course of my life.

His name was Herbert G. Dunlevy. Herb was everything my own Dad wanted to be but didn't know "how" to be. He exposed me to a life I would never have known. And, to a very large degree, I am who I am today because of “Uncle” Herb. I can never begin to repay the many "gifts" he brought into my life.

Uncle Herb, almost single handedly instilled in me, a belief that I could be whatever I chose to be. He aroused my curiosity. He encouraged me to try new things and helped me overcome my fears. He taught me to see obstacles, not as barriers, but as stepping stones to opportunity.

On one occasion he looked at me with his sheepish grin, and as he held up a glass of water, said: "Son, what do you see?" I said: "I see a half-empty glass of water!" As he gently put his hand on my shoulder, he said: "Jerry, as you go through life, you will notice that many of the people you meet ‘see’ exactly what you see right now.

But son, there’s something I want you to remember……you have a choice in the way you see things. Then, he said:

“This glass isn’t half-empty….It’s HALF-FULL!"

WOW!

What a breakthrough moment for a young street kid! I’ve never forgotten his words or the meaning behind them. It's like he said them yesterday!

A Raging Fire!

You see Uncle Herb was an imperfect human being...just as I am, an imperfect man today. He had many flaws, but in this small boy's eyes, he was a giant among men.

He gave me a gift that no amount of money could buy -- the gift of Unconditional Love. He fanned my flicker of self-doubt into a raging fire of perseverance and determination.

For my birthday, in May of 1957, he gave me a DOG. No not the kind with a wagging tail. This D-O-G was merely an acronym for something that would give incredible meaning and purpose to the rest of my life. Let me share with you just a small tidbit of what happened and how it impacted my life....

Doors Get Slammed In My Face…

I was a youth member of the local Y.M.C.A. Every year the “Y” had a finance campaign to raise money for activities not covered by their annual budget. The young boys were enlisted to go door-to-door and ask for donations. So every day after school I went out and knocked on doors. Some of those doors were slammed in my face. Some people simply said they couldn’t afford to make a donation. Of course, my optimistic reply was that even a few pennies would help. One contributor gave me a penny while another gave me two dollars. I remember that the largest single donation I got was five dollars. I was so excited. By the time that 3 week campaign was over, those pennies, nickels and dimes had turned into $101.15. That may not sound like much, but in those days you could get a shoeshine for a dime.

It was enough to win that gleaming first prize Schwinn bicycle. I was one excited young boy.

By the time I met Uncle Herb I was into my second year of fund raising. I nearly doubled the amount I raised and won first prize again. The problem was that it was another bicycle. So-o-o, enter "Uncle Herbie," as he was affectionately called in my home.

To this young bright eyed kid, he was just like a magician because he knew how to get things done quickly and, at the same time, turn the ordinary into something truly extraordinary. He was amazing!

He would negotiate first with the “Y” and later with the President of Underwood Corporation for a typewriter which was the prize I most wanted. Don't ask me why, but for me typewriters were a big thing at the time.

It was another exciting and eventful day.

When I opened the box, there was a note rolled and centered on the carriage of the typewriter. The typewritten message simply said:


May, 1957…

a Debt of Gratitude (D-O-G).

"A debt owed.....
to one small deserving
boy or girl....

in May, 1977."

In May of 1977, almost twenty years to the day, I adopted my daughter Heather, who was and is the greatest gift I have ever received. I had long since forgotten about that little piece of paper… and didn't really think about it until years later, when I realized “the magic” of something called the Law of Attraction and said to myself: "WOW! That's great -- my Debt of Gratitude has been repaid in full!"

My Biggest Regret!

I could not have been further from the mark! In 1989, when I separated from Heather's Mom, I lost my little girl. She felt she had to make a choice....that I had abandoned her.

At the time, I didn’t think that was true. In looking back, I realize that she was absolutely right. I have lived with the hurt that I created for her -- as well as the one buried deep in my own heart -- ever since. It is, by far, my biggest regret!

There is no way I can ever reclaim that part of my life. I can never touch those lost moments of sweet little girl innocence. I can't go back and give her the childhood she deserved. Nor can I replay the "talks" we never had or, share with her a few of the gifts inside of her Dad, the man she never really knew….or got to know.

She’s all grown up now…with a beautiful child of her own. And, while I remain outside of her life, I now realize the Debt of Gratitude is not something that can ever be repaid.

It’s a gift!

In fact, it’s the greatest gift of all! It’s a gift that can only be paid forward and shared with others. And so, as I continue to move, with greater determination than ever, I want to discover new ways of paying “that incredible gift” forward!

And then I want to do it again! Over and over…. repeating that process for the rest of my days.

I've made it my personal responsibility to take that life lesson and find ways that I can share it with others.

My greatest desire is to help others by building profitable models in the world of business and to use these models as an invitation for people to have a different experience. Why? Because most of us must work to earn a living and a good many of us hate what we are doing. I know I did.

Money, Money, Money...

I also know that some of the most misunderstood areas of life revolve around the subject of money and our often distorted views of what it truly represents. I believe the vast majority of us have it backwards. We are taught to "go for the money" instead of going for the things we love to do, things that inspire and motivate us to be the best we can be.

And I think it's because we've been led by parents, peers, teachers and others into believing we had to do things a certain way. Many of us were never taught to align ourselves with the Larger Laws of Life (try explaining that to a young kid). I know that much of this was a mystery to me...some "out-there" mumbo jumbo that I simply dismissed.

That's no longer as true these days. With the release of movies like "The Secret," and the popularity of the Internet, many changes are taking place. And, they are welcome changes!

Laws of Attraction and The Power of Giving...

As more people understand and apply the Universal Laws of Attraction, and the Power of GIVING, I believe we can look forward to a collective “shift” in the consciousness of the planet. And, it's my sincere hope that together we'll leave our children with a legacy they will be proud to call their own and one which they will continue to pay forward.

To continued success in attracting all we want to be, do and have in our lives.

Here's To Your Success...

Jerry Koch is Marketing Consultant and Professional Real Estate Investor who enjoys hiking and "playing" in his backyard, (the Colorado Rocky Mountains).

Til Next Time...

Want to know "how" you
can share in that beauty? Leave a comment...

For Success Quotes and Inspirational Messages Visit The Downline Partners Forum...Learn About The Sophisticated Downline Building Tool I'm Using To Build Several Businesses At The Same Time. IT'S FREE!