“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

― Maya Angelou

I worked with someone some years back who was part of a scheme that systematically stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from ‘investors’. At the very heart of hearts, if per chance I get to meet this individual in the streets, I will give him a warm hug. That individual will always be irreplaceable to me because of the things that he did for me, my wife and my first born son. As long as I live, I will never ever forget his contribution in my life. Am talking from the deepest recesses of my heart. Now, this guy and his colleagues am sure are a pretty powerful stench in the lives of hundreds of people who lost through dealing with them, and that includes very close family and friends. Yet I will never forget him for what he did for me.

Why people don’t become Irreplaceable

As we come to a close of this powerful series or articles, I am more than convinced that all educators out there need to embrace the spirit of being irreplaceable. I have a firm belief that each individual on the face of the earth was in fact meant to be irreplaceable. Many people never live to that level of being irreplaceable because of several factors.

• Some have no clue that they can be irreplaceable
• Some have been raised in environments that literally constrict them from being irreplaceable
• Some are so busy trying to put food on the table for their families, an arduous task that is repeated for years and passed on to the next generation.
• Others get discouraged because the path of being irreplaceable does not have immediately apparent results

But still, each heart beat of every soul that is alive today resounds with an eternal call to be irreplaceable

The following are the ways discussed thus far on how to be irreplaceable:

1. Know the Meaning of ‘Irreplaceable’
2. Study Your Difference
3. Conquer Yourself
4. Know Who Your Audience is
5. Know What You are Poor at
6. Understand the Law of Process
7. Understand and Implement the ‘Wow Factor’
8. Execute the Small with as much Finesse as You would the Grand

9. Focus on ‘Others’

The ultimate goal of our existence is not the self. It is not to acquire all that we can for ourselves. The ultimate pinnacle of our existence as humans is to make a difference in someone else’s life. That is it. In fact the gauge of how irreplaceable you are is what others describe as your impact to their lives. Think through history. Think of the great souls of the past. Why do we remember them? One word would suffice. Contribution.

One Word…

Contribution is the only true marker of an irreplaceable soul. Google defines the word contribution in part as follows: “The part played by a person or thing in bringing about a result or helping something to advance”. In other words, at the very center of contribution is another C-word: Care. If you care enough about something, about a cause or about someone, you sure are going to find a way to ‘contribute’ to their lives. But here is the thing: all we have been talking about in this topic zeroes around taking what we have been endowed with, linking up with what we are passionate at heart for and meeting someone else’s need.

“At the very center of contribution is another C-word: Care”.

Life Signatures

Now, being irreplaceable varies from person to person. For example, my mum to me is the number one irreplaceable person in my life. That might not be true to the rest of the 7 billion people on earth, but it doesn’t belittle that fact any bit.

Now, someone else might not see their mum as being an irreplaceable soul to them for one reason or another. But still they might have someone else who is irreplaceable to them. What is the common denominator there? Care and contribution 100% of the time.

How To Contribute

1.       Be intentional. Think about others

2.       Be observant. Many needs exist around us that we can easily meet

3.       Sweat the Small Stuff: Don’t wait to be grand to contribute.

4.       Be consistent. Make contribution a life-long habit, not something you do when TV Cameras are rolling.

5.       Be Anonymous. Watch the fun of your contribution from afar. Don’t announce it to the masses.

6.       Be creative and innovative. Let your contribution be well thought out and planned.

7.       Be releasing. Don’t expect to be rewarded from your contribution. Do it and let go and move on!

Over to you!