African-American author and civil rights leader Harold Washington Thurman once said, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs – ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

What makes you come alive?  What makes you buzz with excitement and jump out of bed in the morning?  What validates you?  What makes you feel worthy?

Whether it’s a yoga class or a networking group, biking with friends or redecorating a room in your house.  It could be shopping at a farmer’s market and cooking a delicious weekend meal for loved ones or going for a walk by the lake. It could be learning everything you can about a topic you are curious about. Whatever makes you come alive is what fills your cup.  And when your cup is full you will be a better employee, boss, parent, friend and family member.  You will be more successful, calm and healthy.  You will be open to new possibilities and find that serendipitous opportunities fall into your lap.

Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page were doing what they love when they created this thing called a search engine.  Nine months after creating it, they thought they should focus on school as they were doing a Ph.D at Stanford.  They tried to sell “Google” for a million but there weren’t any takers. So they stuck with it.  And the rest is history.

We might not be creating the next search engine that will change the way the world communicates, but doing what makes us come alive will always lead to good outcomes.  Here’s to truly living each and every day and spending the precious time we have on the things we love.