It’s probably a mistake to think you were “born to be” an entrepreneur, cure cancer, or become an actor. Your purpose is not just a function of your inherent talents, but rather the product of how those talents interact with what life throws in your path.
Jen Brea was studying for her PhD at Harvard. One day, she tried to sign a check at a restaurant and found she could not write her own name. It wasn’t long before Jen couldn’t crawl across the floor or lift her head off her pillow. Doctors didn’t know what was wrong, and some made ludicrous guesses.
Here’s the reality: Jen has Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), a systemic neuroimmune condition. It weakens her and – in a cruel twist – her symptoms often get dramatically worse when she exerts any energy. So, if after weeks or months of being bedridden, she feels better and takes a little walk on a sunny day, she may collapse before she gets back to her house, and even be unable to speak or move.
Donate your appreciated stock directly to OMF and you can receive an immediate income-tax deduction for the fair market value of the securities on the date of transfer (even if you originally paid much less for them).