What have you been making?

Hi,

The death of Alfred Nobel was mistakenly reported in a newspaper before he had died. He was the inventor of dynamite and a major armaments manufacturer. "The merchant of death is dead," read the premature obituary. Given this premonition of how his reputation would be treated in death, he changed his will and left US$4.25m in the 1890's to establish the Nobel Prize Foundation. This year's Nobel Peace Prize was given to Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank. Yunus - a Bangladeshi businessman - invented microbanking, which means making small loans to poor people, mainly women, to start businesses so they can rise out of poverty. It has been a stunning success, making a profit and making a difference in the lives of thousands of Bangladeshis. Someone once said, "It's easy to make a buck; it's harder to make a difference." Both Yunus and Nobel made a buck. But they also made a difference. Someone else once said, "Some people spend their lives making a name for themselves; others make a difference." I guess Bill Gates, having given his fortune away to his philanthropic foundation, could prove that you can make a buck, and make a name for yourself, and make a difference. What are you making? Try the obituary test.

Cheers!

Michael