Sometimes in life, we are given things which, when used with the right intention, become sacred gifts that remind us of our own great self worth.
That was never made more clear to me than my recent trip to Oxford England, where I was invited to perform with my brother for the Skoll World Forum.
My friend Jeff Skoll is a rather rare individual, for he is one of the few people I have met in my life who uses his gifts to not only make the world a better place, but to remind others that they too can make a difference.
Oftentimes, when seeing what others have, it magnifies on some level, what we don't have. But someone like Jeff Skoll, in his generous abundance, reminds one that what is achieved by any of us is potentially accessible to all of us.
Each year, Jeff hosts an event that allows people who are truly enhancing life as we know it, an opportunity to be seen, heard and rewarded, and this year, in front of some 800 or so miracle-minded angels of change, we celebrated and honored 9 incredible people who made their way from across the globe. They rose to the call of an inner-voice that challenged the way things were and with determination, perseverance and perhaps the gift of God's grace, created opportunities for the way things could be.
While we were there, a volcano erupted in Iceland, closing down airports all over Europe, and people were suddenly faced with the daunting challenge of returning home to life as they knew it. Jobs, families, prior commitments and responsibilities were all suddenly placed on hold and everyone became equal as they were reminded that in the end, Mother Nature will always have the final say.
I know for me personally, I was missing out on an opportunity I can't say presents itself very often in one's life, at least my own. I had been invited to attend a dinner hosted by none other than President Obama.
As I made countless calls and sent emails to see if I could find my way back to America in time for a moment with the President, it occurred to me that perhaps the Universe, in her own benevolent and patient way, had something perhaps even greater in store for me -- if I just waited my turn to leave, and accepted the fact that sometimes the things we think are so important, aren't nearly as important as simply being in the moment.
One afternoon in London, when I "should have" been back in LA, I found myself walking toward St. Paul's Cathedral, and it was there I would spend the next several hours walking hundreds of steps to the very top and as I looked around me, I saw something so beautiful and profound, something that mirrored the few days I had spent in the presence of all the amazing people I had met in Oxford, just days before.
I was standing in a building that shouted from every carefully crafted corner "Remember who you are, Remember your great self worth."
It was a moment I wouldn't have traded for anything in the world, not even a dinner hosted by the President.
I thought of the many artists who came together to create that cathedral, no different in their intention really than the many souls who came from across the globe to partake in the Skoll World Forum...
When we stand in the presence of greatness, we are reminded that we too are a part of something so much greater than ourselves and our mere circumstances, and that we too are capable of contributing something so magnificent, that perhaps maybe even hundreds of years later, someone will stand in the place we once stood, and in that moment, hear an inner-voice and remember that they too may be called to rise even higher than they ever dreamed possible.
That is for me, one of the finest gifts of being alive. Being able to roll with the punches, being able to be in the moment, and knowing that right here, right now, we may and can do something with our own lives that will echo into eternity five amazing words to those who will come long after we have gone:
Remember YOUR great self worth.
For more information on the Skoll World Forum, please visit:
www.skollworldforum.com