I would like to inspire you today, not by things I have done but by the fact that if you are really turning to God, and your motive is to bless other people, you can go a long way. You don't have to be a genius. You just have to want, with a very sincere desire, to help other people. It is as simple as that.

You have learned that by turning to God in prayer, you will find all the answers you need, and that as you identify with this Principle that is God, you will be empowered and sustained in whatever you choose to do. There is nothing old-fashioned about Christian Science. It is so relevant to today. When we are fueled by the desire to help someone else, that is the most powerful force we can bring into play. An unselfed desire to seek our own in another's good that brings us enormous happiness and contentment.

Everything I have done has been through Christian Science. I pray to be able to take the next step when we are doing things that are new and different and challenging. Pro Mujer's success is based in large part on young people like you who are committed to making a difference. There is nothing like seeing lives transformed, seeing women speak up, seeing them take hold, seeing them earn a little income and keep children in school. There is nothing like helping other people.

You may make some mistakes along the way. That is part of life. We learn by making mistakes. We learn by taking risks. We have made a lot of mistakes in trying to figure out our microfinance organization, but we have learned by them. In Nicaragua we repeated some mistakes we made in Bolivia, but by the time we went to Peru, we knew what we were doing. We reached 20,000 clients in three years with a repayment rate of 100 percent.

I would encourage all of you to think internationally. We live in one world, and we have to talk to each other, not fight with each other. Every human being is deserving of respect and of having all the basic human rights. We in this country are so fortunate. We don't wonder about what we are going to eat or where we are going to sleep. We spend five dollars without thinking about it.

In countries that I work in, a dollar is a lot of money. I don't think people in the United States fully understand the suffering and the poverty that exist in the world. I know that many of you have had wonderful experiences in other countries. That is a marvelous part of a Principia education. To think internationally is so important.

There are times when you may feel that you are really in a box, that you can't move, that you are very constrained. There was a time in my life before I went to Bolivia, almost seven years, when I was the sole support of my mother and my child. I had a job in a school system. I had to go every day. I really felt like I just went to work, and I came home. I went to work, and I came home. At some point I thought, well, this is what I am doing now, but no one can limit my thinking. My thinking can include any context that I want.

There was a very good public library near home. Books would be reviewed in The New York Times on Sunday, and they would be in the library on Monday, and I decided that I was going to read, and read, and read. Looking back on those years, they laid the groundwork for much that I was able to achieve later. My mother and my child were very much benefited during those years as well.

There are sometimes fallow periods in our lives, when we are not apparently doing very exciting things. But those are the times to hunker down, pray, ask for direction, and appreciate the moment. There is always something to appreciate. We just have to open our eyes and see with the eyes of Elias see the good that is present. The world needs idealists. We need your enthusiasm, your ideas, your creativity, your values, your humanity, your special talents. You are a precious, special group of young people. You are going to change the world, whether you are in your kitchen, or your office, or on a plane. You are going to change the world because of the way you think.

Jesus said," If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me". That is what our job is, to lift up our own thought. To lift it up and listen and get the best ideas. Then we will draw all men unto us. You are leaving Prin, but you are not leaving Principle. You are taking it with you, and you are going to apply it everywhere at home, at work, in your community, and in the wider world. Don't forget what you learned here. Don't be distracted. Hang onto it. There are spiritual laws that are constructive and give us healthy, happy lives. And when we don't obey those laws, or if we ignore them, our experiences suffer.

So, what you know, hold dear. You have made a wonderful beginning. You don't have to wait. You are already yourselves. Everything is going to appear for you in exactly the right way. Trust God, be happy, have fun.