96.
Be like Garth
Throughout this book I’ve encouraged you to “lead without title,” to show up fully and to make a difference.
There’s a man who lived the philosophy I evangelize. His name was Garth Taylor. He died recently. I want
to honor him.
Dr. Garth Alfred Taylor was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in 1944. He was a gifted eye surgeon,
a family man and – above all else – a humanitarian. One of his favorite saying was: “I came into this world
with nothing, and all I’m going to leave with is my conscience.” My guess is he did.
Dr. Taylor first came to my attention through my brother Sanjay, a gifted eye surgeon in his own
right. Garth was a colleague of Sanjay’s, and a fan of my books. So I signed a few for him one morning and
sent them off. I heard it made him very happy.
What made Garth’s impact so profound was that he didn’t just practice medicine – he lived it. For
more than 20 years, he traveled around the world, to developing nations, selflessly helping to save people’s
sight. In his own words: “I found my nirvana 23 years ago… by treating avoidable blindness. People don’t
just get back their sight, they get back their self – esteem.” Because he cared – and had the courage to act
– he blessed the lives of thousands of people. Sanjay attended Dr. Taylor’s funeral. The church was so full
many people had to stand out on the street.
“I came into this world with nothing, and all I’m
going to leave with is my conscience.”
As you near the end of The Greatness Guide and our time together, I invite you to think about the
truths I’ve respectfully shared. Reflect on what you want to stand fro and what will be your impact. And then
contemplate the words of Dr. Garth Taylor: “Until I have no breath to breathe, I will continue to do this
because I think I was chosen for this, not for money, not for compensation but just to make the quality of life
of my fellow human beings better.”