Immeasurable Significant--Spoken Word Given by Lloyd D. Newell

Immeasurably Significant

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

Who doesn’t want to be successful? Who doesn’t want to achieve in their field and find fame, fortune, or power? This kind of success is about achieving measurable results. But there’s another kind of success that is not so measurable—the success of being significant in someone else’s life. American swimmer Michael Phelps has won more gold medals than any Olympic athlete in history. By so many measures, he is successful. But his experience with Kristin Koch, a 12-year-old girl with Down syndrome, was in some ways more significant than his victories—both for him and for Kristin. Shortly after the 2004 Summer Olympics, Michael spent a day with Kristin and her family. The chance to swim with an Olympic gold medalist was a dream come true for Kristin, but equally significant was the influence Kristin had on him. He later recounted that seeing Kristin swim with so much joy and enthusiasm changed his perspective. Kristin helped him rediscover his love for swimming and reminded him to swim for the love of the sport. All of us yearn to make a difference, to live a life measured by more than what we hang on the walls, what we stuff in safe deposit boxes or park in the garage. Think about those who have been significant to you. Perhaps, like Kristin, they exuded a simple love for life when you had lost that spark, or maybe they found the right words to say at just the right moment. Perhaps they were simply at your side when you needed someone. Isn’t that what life is all about? There is striving and achieving, yes. But reaching into someone’s life and leaving an imprint on the heart is immeasurably significant. Program #4122