The Power of Giving

Posted by DJL on Mar 19, 2015 in Living Well | 2 comments

I’ve written before about how the transformative power of dedicating yourself to making a contribution to whatever group you’re a part of, whatever persons you’re surrounded by, and in any situation you find yourself. This attitude is, I think, one of the hallmarks of great leadership and a secret to living a good life.

Everything changes, you see, when you get out of your own way and stop worrying about what you may get or save or achieve and instead focus on what you can give others.

My initial inspiration for framing this approach to life and leadership this way came from Benjamin Zander and Rosamund Stone Zander’s amazing book, The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life. More recently, I stumbled across this wonderful 3-minute video by comedian Michael Jr., where he describes the difference it has made in his life and career to stop trying to get people to laugh and instead give them the opportunity to do so. And I love his final invitation to all of us to “be the punchline!” It’s a great piece; I hope you can watch it.

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