By Absar Ahmad Shahzad (Peshawar, Pakistan)

10 Ways to Gain Fame for Being a Good

Person
Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
Desmond Tutu
What do you want to be known for?
Lift others up. Treat people with respect. Be positive. Be true to your values. Do your best. Do things that bring you
in contact with your passions. Take care of yourself, your family, and your friends. Be the person that makes others
feel special. Be known for your kindness and honesty.
This is how you gain admiration and fame for being a good person

1. Care about people.

People dont care about how much you know, until they know how much you care.
The best part of life is not just surviving, but thriving with passion, compassion, humor, generosity, and kindness, and
using these tools to improve the lives of those around you.
Smile, and help others smile too. If you dont have the power or strength to write someones happiness, then try to
help them remove their sadness instead. And dont let the numbers overwhelm you. You cant help everyone at once.
Focus on assisting one person at a time, and always start with the person closest to you.
If you can lie down at night knowing in your heart that you made someones day just a little better, youre doing it
right.

2. Help people help themselves.

Whenever possible help people by teaching them to help themselves. Put the tools in their hands, show them how to
use them, step back, and be there whenthey trip. Love them when they fall. Repeat.
Its one thing to take the initiative with people you already know, but what about all the people around you whom you
barely know?
Be friendly and introduce yourself to someone nearby. When youre connecting with someone new always start with
generosity. Focus on how you can help the other person. Do you have information that could benefit them? Do you
have a skill that could assist them through their current situation? Do you know someone who they should meet?
One of the best investments you can make in yourself is to take a genuine interest in other people. The more you help
others, the more they will want to help you. Love and kindness begets love and kindness. (Read The Mastery of
Love.)

3. Live by the truth.

The most important thing you can do for others is to live by your truth and be who you truly are. If you trade in your
reality for a role, you are doing everyone a disservice. When you put on a mask, and trade in your sense for an act,
you give up your ability to truly connect with others. The bottom line is that there cant be any deep connection

By Absar Ahmad Shahzad (Peshawar, Pakistan)

between you and anyone else until theres a deep connection within, to your truth. All of lifes goodness transpires on
the inside first.
Once you are true on the inside, reflect it on the outside. Be honest and do what you know is right.

4. Let your passions ignite your ability to thrive and

inspire others.
When you stop doing things you are passionate about, you stop living and you start merely existing. The same way
your body responds to food, your heart, mind and spirit need nourishment too. You are able to get that nourishment
when you indulge in your passions. Because when you truly lose yourself in something you love, you will eventually
find yourself there too.
If you truly want to attract the right attention, you must devote your time and energy to what calls to your soul. When
you do, you will find your life unimaginably enriched and attractive to those with like minds. (Marc and I discuss this
in more detail in the Passion and Goals chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)

5. Be a force for positivity and encouragement.

Elevate your inside game. A negative attitude is below your horizon
Our way of thinking creates good or bad outcomes. It makes a big difference in your life and the lives around you
when you stay positive. So be fanatically positive and militantly optimistic. If something is not to your liking, change
your liking and carry on with smile. Always turn a negative situation into a positive lesson and move forward.
Encourage the best possible results with your thoughts and words. And teach this philosophy to those around you
too.

6. Over-deliver on your promises to yourself and others.

Make a real difference in the world by pushing boundaries. Test, prod, and poke until something positive gives. You
can do this by saying yes to more than just what youre comfortable with. Learn to stretch yourself. You might be
surprised by what youre actually capable of. Your confidence and understanding will grow, too, and you will end up
giving yourself and the world more than anyone bargained for.
And when others are involved, under-promise and over-deliver on everything you do. Supply far more than whats
required. Period.

7. Have the guts to communicate clearly, from the heart.

Communication is what connects us. Start communicating clearly. Dont try to read other peoples minds, and dont
make other people try to read yours. Speak up so people can understand you. Most people have a very low tolerance
for dealing with people they cant understand. Mystery does not fuel strong relationships and likeability.
And before you say something, always check in with yourself for a second to see if its really what you believe. The
time you take to develop this awareness, the more comfortable you will be with communicating your truth to others.
You probably think you do this, but do you really listen to yourself? The difference between someone who makes an

By Absar Ahmad Shahzad (Peshawar, Pakistan)

impact and someone who misses the mark rests in their passion for the truth. You cant say what you want to say
because its easier. You have to communicate honestly, straight from your heart and that takes guts.

8. Express your sincere appreciation to those who have

earned it.
No matter how sure you are of someones appreciation and admiration, its always nice to be reminded of it. So if you
appreciate someone today, tell them.
Just because they are reliable and there when you need them, doesnt mean you should fail to give thanks and
appreciation on a regular basis. To value someone too lightly is to risk missing the depth of their goodness before
theyre gone. (Read The Last Lecture.)

9. Apologize when you know you should.

Take personal responsibility for your wrong doings. If you know, for instance, that your actions or words have hurt
someone, you must immediately admit your faults and face the reality of your actions.
An apology is the super glue of lasting relationships. It can repair just about anything. Never ruin a relationship or
your reputation with an excuse, instead of simply apologizing.

10. Take care of the one in the mirror.

If you want to be known for awakening happiness in the world around you, start by living a life that makes you happy,
and then radiate your happiness outward. If you want to be known for eliminating suffering in the world, start by
eliminating the dark and negative parts of yourself, and then radiate your positivity outward.
Truly, the greatest power you have in this world is the power of your own self-transformation. It starts with the one in
the mirror. Be the very best version of YOU, and the right people will be drawn to you.

Afterthoughts
Ambition, intention and disciplined effort will bring you great things in this world, but there is more to success than
acquiring the commonly celebrated milestones of success that society confers. In the long run, its less about
achieving things and more about doing the right things, for yourself and others. Its about being a genuinely good
person.