Enough with the Gloom and Doom
The following is an excerpt from Ken Dychtwald's article "Enough with the Gloom and Doom" orginally published at HuffingtonPost.com:
Whoever said "he who dies with the most toys, wins" was wrong. When you give back of yourself, share what you know, when you help those who could benefit from you, you lose nothing. In fact, you gain.
What would you really love to do? You know, there's the sales rep who wants to coach the local volleyball team, the marketing manager who wants to write a book of poems, the advertising executive who wants to put shoes on the feet of street kids in Brazil. What about the idea of pursuing a career because you really love it or because it would be fabulous to give to the world in this way? You may have a particular cause that you care about or a talent or a skill -- and there's some part of your community, your state, or the world where you could roll up your sleeves and help out. The drop in the Dow doesn't matter as much when 15 energized and committed people show up to build someone a house; the roof gets raised. Non-profits need fund-raising directors, and people who can write an informative brochure, design a web site, or train staff. And you know what? It might be the most gratifying and fun thing you have ever done your whole life.
I've always been fascinated by people who chose to make a difference -- particularly during tough times. It's easy to do great things or to be positive when everything is going well, but remarkable things happen when there seems to be little or no hope at all, and people still step up into the opportunity or the need. I recently met with some Los Angeles media people, who were forming a crew of folks to travel around the world and teach people in third world countries how to publish books, how to make television programs, how to make films.
While you're watching the world's news unfold (when I sat down to write this, the Dow was up, by the way), turn your mind from the Dow to the Tao to consider the fantastic opportunity you now have for seeking a job in a career that serves others, for volunteering, for mentoring, for becoming a philanthropreneur. You can make your future a time of not only leaving a legacy, but also living a legacy -- and adding significance to your success.
Ken Dychtwald is a futurist, best-selling author, psychologist and entrepreneur. For information on bringing him to your next event, visit www.premierespeakers.com/ken_dychtwald.