Tomorrow I'll be in rural Kentucky at a camp and I plan to ask several hundred high school students a simple question: What do you want to contribute to this world? It's a big question, one that we may be tempted to overthink, but in keeping with the theme of brevity that characterizes this newsletter, I'll challenge you not to.
Don't worry about what what other people have already contributed or bother comparing your contributions to others. Don't waste time stalling trying to find the perfect words to describe your contribution. Don't fret about the finite details or how certain potential obstacles might be overcome.
In the words of Willie Robertson, "Get up, get out there, and get after it."
Maybe your contribution isn't to "the world," but your neighborhood. Maybe your contribution is to your spouse. Maybe your contribution is to your parents. It doesn't have to be precisely planned or even recurring. The only qualification is that it must be done without any expectation of something in return. It is, indeed, a contribution. A gift, a selfless act.
So I'll ask again, "What do you want to contribute?" Once you decide, go do it.
Fact
Only 20% of Americans post on social media regularly. Meaning 80% exist as consumers, not contributors.
Action
Here are three contributions you can make to the world today:
-Post something positive on social media
-Give someone a meaningful compliment
-Write someone a note of gratitude
Question
Do you consider yourself a consumer or a contributor?
Quote
"The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse." - Walt Whitman; From the poem O Me! O Life!
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