Book excerpt: Every once in a while a book is published that reminds us what is best about being human. This is such a book. It tells the true and inspiring stories of ordinary people who became extraordinary, who changed their lives in order to make the world a better place. These amazing people live with the joy of knowing they make a difference. Their joy will inspire you. In this inspiration book, writer and film-maker Miles Roston tells the stories of people from around the world who, despite unlikely backgrounds, have used their skills and energy to change the lives of those less fortunate than themselves. They demonstrate that one person can make a difference, and by doing so live a life of sheer joy. Who would have thought that a Catholic priest from New York would end up caring for the dying in a Buddhist hospice in Thailand? Or that a marketing executive with a glamorous job at L'Oreal in Paris would open a beauty salon and restaurant in Cambodia staffed by former street kids? And there are more extraordinary journeys: the couple in Amsterdam who built an animal farm for children in a slum; the rebel leader from Darfur who fights for his people from afar; the blonde Australian who champions the rights of sex workers world-wide; the investment banker from Hong Kong who has helped thousands of children orphaned when the blood supply was contaminated by Aids; and the Methodist minister in America who discovered her preacher husband was gay, then devoted her life to helping young people threatened by violence, drug addiction and unsafe sex. What unites the people in this book is their passion and compassion. And what the book reveals is their secret: that in doing good for others, you transform your own life and gain what one person calls 'the contentment of giving'. Often eye-opening, always challenging, this is a book that can change lives – even your life.