I do not believe that there are bad people and good people. There are just "people," period. People then choose what they will be. People choose to do bad or do good. And we can't fool ourselves: each person has the capacity for both.
   On one hand, every person has within them the capacity for evil. G.K. Chesterton's quote is certainly true: "Original Sin is the only philosophy empirically validated by 3500 years of human history." Fortunately, most societies groom people with a sense of right and wrong and encourage people to respond to their own consciences so that most live their lives self-restricting the bad things of which they are capable. For those who don't self-restrict, we have police and prisons.
   On the other hand, everyone has the capacity to do great good as well. Every mind can dream of the possibilities to make life better for those around them. Every person has the ability to do what is good, if they choose.
   Most people live their lives in the middle - cutting ethical corners here and there. Nothing society would punish them for but not as pure as new fallen snow either! They will, of course, open doors for people and jump-start an old lady's car when the battery goes dead in the Wal-Mart parking lot, but most people do not live their lives with the passionate and purposeful pursuit of goodness each and every day. Thus, most people live not so good, not so bad lives.
   We live in uncertain times. The whole world is on edge�wars and unrest abound. People who choose goodness are so desperately needed!
   Are you ready to take your life to the next level and unleash the force of good that you have within? Then here we go!

   1. Know your specific gifts and talents, your strengths and abilities. Everyone has at least one and, usually a few, specific talents and abilities that, if utilized on a regular basis, would produce a tremendous amount of goodness in the immediate world around them. Find your strengths and regularly use them.

   2. Develop a vision of the good you can accomplish. If you want to produce goodness, you must know what "good" would look like to you. Do you know what good things you want to do, the good legacy you want to leave behind? Get a vision for your goodness and put it to work!

   3. Pursue your passions. Most of the time our passions show us the road to pursue. Do you have a passion for helping the underprivileged? Then pour your energies into giving them your goodness in whatever form allows you to make a difference in their lives.

   4. Develop a strategy and action plan to make your passions a reality. If you don't concentrate your unleashing, its effect may be diluted and not be as powerful as if you plan and focus your good in a specific area. The basic example would be light. Sure a single bulb will give off light but when that light is so focused it becomes a laser, it becomes very powerful. Don't just say you will embody goodness, develop a plan.

   5. Be ruthless following your priorities. To be effective, know where you are going and stick to the plan. Don't let anything sidetrack you! Say you want to volunteer one day a week to help underprivileged children learn to read. Great idea! But you won't believe how many things will creep into your life to be scheduled for that day. Stick to your priorities!

   6. Listen to your conscience. A conscience is perhaps the greatest gift we have. It is a built in homing device that keeps us pointed in the right direction. Yet the conscience is also like a muscle in that it gets stronger when used (listened to) and weaker when not (not listened to). If you are in a relatively good place, let your conscience guide you.

   7. Develop and memorize a life mission statement that declares your intentions for good. My personal mission statement is, "To use my speaking and writing gifts to help people and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams." Can you construct a life mission statement that will keep you on track? Sure you can�and you should.

   You have a lot of good to offer. And the world needs it now more than ever. Decide today that you will unleash you goodness. Some of you reading this have a lot of influence in the world around you and others don't have as much, but we all have some. If we all unleash our goodness we will certainly make a difference!