26 Who Do You Think You Are?
said, “God I’m tired of being sick and tired, and I’m tired of doing things
Dave Anderson’s way. It seems like everything that I try just doesn’t
work. I’m done doing things my way and I want to be forgiven, I want to
be cleansed.” It was at that moment I discovered the power of the word
“surrender.” I think that when you can ask for help and surrender to
something greater, it’s really a sign of wisdom and strength.
I think a lot of people are still trying to do their plan. You know,
there’s a saying that goes, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your
plan. I was so intent on doing it my way and for my reasons that I never
understood the spiritual side to all of it. I hadn’t realized that there’s a
reason why we’ve been given talents or been blessed with certain gifts.
Sometimes we get so full of ourselves that we forget to notice the real
reason why we’ve been put on this earth, and that’s for a higher purpose.
I never understood that until the moment I surrendered my life and gave
it over to an almighty power that I know as God. When I got off the floor
that day, I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from my
shoulders. I felt free. I felt enlightened. I felt empowered. And from that
moment on I started living my life in servitude. I started to read and
understand the Bible. The Bible says that the meek shall inherit the earth
and it talks about humbleness. Jesus was always humble. I started to
understand that I was like Mother Teresa or Gandhi. I was a servant of
other people, and I could give the best I had to the greatest number of
people, and do it without any expectation other than just being able to
give to other people.
Once I made this decision, I didn’t have to worry about where
success came from. All the doors that were so difficult to open before
started springing open. It’s amazing what I accomplished once I under-
stood that it isn’t all about Dave Anderson. Since I’ve been living a life
of giving the best that I have to other people, I’ve really discovered what
my purpose in life is all about.
If you could give advice to those who are still searching for their
purpose in life, what would it be?
I think almost all successful people recognize that they are spiritual be-
ings. We can go to school to learn disciplines, whether it’s art, music or
a profession like being an attorney. Those are all technical disciplines
which you will become proficient at if you really study. But, the people
who really succeed in touching many lives are the ones who understand
that they have a spiritual side. Those who are unafraid to recognize this