I was blown away because his question was so different from any that we had heard before. “How can I help each of you best accomplish your goals with Pencils of Promise?” he asked with sincerity.

We decided to hold an annual gala to cover our operating expenses and then promised to commit 100 percent of funds donated online throughout the year to our school programs.

“Then you must promise me that you will come back. And Pencils of Promise will work in Ghana to support the education of our children.” “I hope so.” I meant it. “Hope is not enough. You have to believe, and then it will be so.”

Weak speakers look down at the floor, good speakers look up but scan the room, great speakers make eye contact selectively, and exceptional speakers deliver every complete thought directly to one person in the audience, making that person feel like the center of the room—and then they move on and do it again. We’ve all been in that position when a

but internally I was beginning to ask fewer questions about money and more questions about meaning.

In moments of uncertainty, when you must choose between two paths, allowing yourself to be overcome by either the fear of failure or the dimly lit light of possibility, immerse yourself in the life you would be most proud to live.

ASKING FOR PERMISSION IS ASKING FOR DENIAL

I began to detest putting on my consultant’s outfit of slacks and a tucked-in button-down. I felt as if I were wearing someone else’s uniform. When it came to my year-end review, I was told that my work was error-free and my contributions to the team were valued, but there was a major issue. I looked as if I didn’t care in client meetings. I shrugg

As Marcel Proust wrote, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”