Significant Others

Are you significant? That was the question posed by ethicistMichael Josephson, founder of the Joseph & Edna JosephsonInstitute of Ethics, at the Orange County (California) Ethics inAmerica awards dinner last June, where I'm proud to sayEntrepreneur won an Ethics Award. Josephson asked theaudience if we understood the difference between success andsignificance. Most of us yearn to be successful, thinking it willmark our place in this world. But is that what it's reallyabout? Is it enough to be a success, or should we also strive forsignificance?

There are many paths to significance, and I can't tell youhow to traverse yours. But one of the most rewarding ways to leaveyour mark is to reach out to the young. And one of the best ways todo that is through Students in Free Enterprise, more commonly knownas SIFE, a nonprofit organization found on hundreds of collegecampuses across the United States and overseas. Its membershipconsists of top officers from some of the world's mostsuccessful corporations and a group of dedicated professors whogive tirelessly to the most important SIFE component-the students.SIFE students compete by undertaking projects that help educate andinspire people in their communities, across the nation and aroundthe world.