In their book Beyond Positive Thinking, Arnold Fox, M.D. and Barry Fox, Ph.D., told a story of a bank president named Jake, who referred to himself as “the acid in my employees’ lives.” He felt it was his duty to make them miserable.

In his book, The 10X Rule, Grant Cardone, billionaire investor, speaker and author, said “It is your duty, obligation, and responsibility to create as much wealth as possible so that you can take care of yourself, your family, and your community.”

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” He believed it was his duty to serve in the fight for India’s independence and the rights of its people through non-violence.

During World War II, Winston Churchill delivered a speech to the House of Commons in 1940, in which he famously said, “We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be… we shall never surrender.” He believed it was a moral duty to protect Britain’s democracy and freedom against the tyranny of Nazi Germany.

We are all driven by some type of duty whether consciously or unconsciously, whether healthy or destructive. I submit that your duty should be something you desire that makes a positive difference in the life of someone else, rather than settling for living reactively to whatever happens to you or being a source of dread for someone else. Make this a duty.

Romans 13:7 (English Standard Version):

“Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”

This verse reflects the duty to fulfill obligations, whether they are financial, social, or moral, toward others.