There was no reason to think young George would be successful. Born a slave, he was orphaned when raiders kidnapped his mother. The couple who owned George took care of the sickly boy, eventually adopting him and giving him their name...Carver.

George Washington Carver would go on to become an accomplished botanist, artist scientist and educator. He chose not to dwell on the tragedies of his life, but on how he could help others. He developed ways for poor farmers to grow better crops and even refused to patent his innovations so all could benefit from them.

His philosophy of life was: “It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success.”

Be successful! Today, look for one opportunity to do an act of service for another person.