Thinking Big Just one human brain recording its thoughts.

This weekend, I began the book “A Path Appears” by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl Wudann. I started it spontaneously and it was unexpectedly was exactly the “pick-me-up” I needed. It opens explaining,

“Hope is like a path in the countryside. Originally there is nothing–but as people walk this way again and again, a path appears.”

–Lu Xun, Chinese Essayist, 1921

This quote right from the beginning really stuck with me because it ignited in me the importance of paving a way. Sometimes when we are the first to create a path, the walk itself isn’t easy. Noone has done it before. There isn’t a lot of guidance but it is important, especially for the future. It is important to give yourself and others hope. This quote also made me gracious for all of the people who have walked the path before me and given hope. It made me reflect on what it takes to be a pioneer. I think you need passion, gumption and a mission. Sometimes you see a future that others can’t imagine. Sometimes you see a better world. However as this book details, good intentions and a dream is not enough. These beautiful thoughts and compassion need to be put to good use. Through United States history, we have provided finances to aids efforts that ended in a failure. Many people begin humanitarian ventures without a plan to be sustainable. An imperative part of fixing the world is having well thought out, evidence based plans on how to do so. This book provides the important perspective of turning charity into a science. It combines social issues, policy, economics and even neuroscience to analyze what is the best way to give. As “leaders”, I think it is imperative to question how we give. We need to put the amount of thought into how we give money as we do how we make money. What we give to will shape the future. It is a good first step you have the right intentions, but the next most important step is to determine how to make the largest impact.

I am still figuring this out. However what I have decided so far is that when I want to give to a charity, I will research them intensely before donating. I want to know that my money will be make the most impact for its worth. I want to that I am donating to a sustainable cause.

“We only have what we give.”

– Isabel Allende

Tags: PLA2013

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 8th, 2015 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Leader, PLA2013. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.