Many people live life looking out for self, "number one." We even use the familiar expression What's in it for me?

During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia a selfless young man rose to fame. Alexandre Bilodeau won his country's first gold medal in the moguls event. This was the first gold medal for this speed skating event won on Canadian soil.

Cameras captured the joy on the face of his older brother when the victory was announced. His brother, Frederic Bilodeau, has cerebral palsy. In spite of the limitations, Frederic Bilodeau motivates himself to achieve beyond his disabilities. Encouraged by the determination to succeed in his handicapped brother, Alexandre Bilodeau felt he had to achieve his own high goal. His goal was to win the gold medal.

After Alexandre Bilodeau was handed the gold medal in recognition of the highest award for his achievement, he proudly made a profound statement: "I did it for him." In making that statement, Alexandre Bilodeau was referring to his handicapped brother, Frederic.

Who is motivating you to do your best? Who are you watching that presses beyond their limitations? Let that person know that you are encouraged by their example. Then go ahead and do something special for someone else.

Trust should be earned rather than demanded! Great leaders know how to earn the respect of their followers. They will do whatever it takes to ensure that they are people who can be trusted.

Evangelist Billy Graham has a proven track record of trust from around the world. He has met personally with every sitting United States president from Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama.

Graham has frequently been honored by credible surveys. One of these surveys included the honor as the "Greatest Living American." Through the years he has consistently ranked among the most admired persons in the United States and the world. Graham has been careful to take reasonable compensation far below what other television evangelists receive. Whether you agree with him or not, it is impossible to deny that he is a man that millions of people trust.

You may not be a Billy Graham, a Harry S. Truman or a Barack Obama. You are one of a kind. Do whatever it takes to be a person who can be trusted. Keep your word. Practice integrity and honesty. Watch as people identify you as a person who never demands trust. They recognize that you have earned their trust.

Your alignments will get you into your assignment. During times of shifting and change it is important to keep your alignment with key relationships secure. These relationships will help you remain steady and on course through these turbulent times.

Flying through turbulent weather in a plane can be an uncomfortable situation. Passengers on the plane must listen and take the counsel of the pilot and flight attendants. They cannot merely decide that they will get up and move about the cabin. Independent thinking and independent actions like that can cause a catastrophe. The passengers must stay in alignment with the instructions from the airplane crew.

We are living in times of turbulence. Keep your key relationships secure. Listen to wise advice from those trusted people in your life. They will help you do the same thing that the airline crew does -- get you safely to your destination. After all, your alignments will get you into your assignment!

There is a difference between great people who fall, and people who are considered failures. Great people who fall always get back up. They do not stay down. Many millionaires have been bankrupt at some point in their lives. Bankruptcy did not cause them to end their careers as failures. These great people got up from their loss and started over again.

A great football player recently made a crucial mistake in a game. Will that mistake end his career? Does that mistake make him a failure? Will he allow his mind to bombard him with thoughts about what he did wrong? Will he berate himself about what he should have done? Only time will tell if this athlete stays down. Will he allow his mistake to condemn him as a failure or will he choose to get up. Will he forgive himself? Will he forgive others who criticize him for the mistake?

Is there a person anywhere who has not made a mistake? That person does not exist. What is the mistake you are grappling with in your mind? Forgive yourself. Forgive others who are critical of you. Now be the great person that you are. Get up and start over again!

Serving others is a key to finding fulfillment in your life. People today are experiencing great difficulties. Many are hurting, confused and struggling to find answers to their problems.

Go find these people. They may be in your neighborhood. They may be where you work. Some of these people may be your relatives, your hairdresser or your children's teachers. You have what they need. You may not be able to solve their problems but you can listen to them.

People today need someone who cares about them. They need someone who will reach out to them with concern and compassion. Albert Schweitzer was a man who committed his life to helping others. He has been called one of the greatest Christians of his time. Public acknowledgment of his selfless commitment to humanity was given to him in 1952 when he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Schweitzer once said, "The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others."

Who can you reach out to today? Who can you serve today? You will only know deep fulfillment in life when you choose to serve others!

Maintain a thankful heart at all times. Too many people spend their time criticizing, complaining and finding fault. Usually, these people miss the best things in life because of their negative outlook.

Find the one thing you can be thankful for in your difficult situation.

Are you thankful for the nation where you live?