30 Mantras to Change Your Life

Adam Braun was on the fast track to what many people would consider extraordinary success - at 16 years old, he was already working summers at hedge funds, and stood a chance at becoming a millionaire in his 20's thanks to the Wall Street high life and a prestigious job at the world-renowned Bain & Company.

But on a trip to India, he met a young boy begging on the street. When Adam asked the boy what he most wanted in the world, he simply replied, "A pencil."

That interaction became Adam's inspiration. He quit his job at Bain and with just $25, he started Pencils of Promise, a non-profit organization that in just five years, has been responsible for funding and building over 200 schools around the world.

Adam Braun believes that anyone in the world can make a difference, and he's just written and published his story: The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change. In the book, Adam shares the 30 "mantras" that continually guide his life and have helped him create a difference in the world at such a young age.

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I found the book and the mantras to be incredibly inspiring. These mantras can help guide your life as well, so that you too can make an extraordinary difference:

1) Why be normal?

2) Get out of your comfort zone.

3) Know that you have a purpose.

4) Every pencil holds a promise.

5) Do the small things that make others feel big.

6) Tourists see, but travelers seek.

7) Asking for permission is asking for denial.

8) Embrace the lightning moments.

9) Big dreams start with small, unreasonable acts.

10) Practice humility over hubris.

11) Speak the language of the person you want to become.

12) Walk with a purpose.

13) Happiness is found in celebrating others.

14) Find the impossible ones.

15) Focus on one person in every room.

16) Read the signs along the path.

17) Create separation to build connection.

18) Never take no from someone who can't say yes.

19) Stay guided by your values, not your necessities.

20) You can't fake authenticity.

21) There is only one chance at a first impression.

22) Fess up to your failures.

23) Learn to close the loop.

24) Change your words to change your worth.

25) A goal realized is a goal defined.

26) Surround yourself with those who make you better.

27) Vulnerability is vital.

28) Listen to your echoes.

29) If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough.

30) Make your life a story worth telling.

Adam Braun's thirty mantras have guided him well- in just five years, he has built a global for-purpose organization that will impact many thousands of lives for years to come. Now it's your turn! Which of these mantras appeal to you the most? What is the mantra or mantras that you live by? Please let me know your thoughts in the Comments section below.

(And as a bonus, I've bought 5 copies of the book , that I'll give away to 5 random commenters here on LinkedIn. Ready? Go!)

Adam Braun is the Founder of Pencils of Promise, an award-winning organization that began with just $25 and has since broken ground on 200 schools across the world. He also is the creator of the "For-Purpose" approach to business and philanthropy, which combines for-profit business acumen with the best of social sector idealism. Braun graduated from Brown University, began his career at Bain & Company, and has been featured at the United Nations, Clinton Global Initiative and Forbes' 30 under 30 List.

The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change is his debut book.

Dave Kerpen is the founder and CEO of Likeable Local. He is also the co-founder and Chairman of Likeable Media, and the New York Times-bestselling author of Likeable Social Media and Likeable Business, and the new collection, Likeable Leadership. To read more from Dave on LinkedIn, please click the FOLLOW button above or below.

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