Prospective authors have many goals for success in their writing, in addition to simply “getting published”. For many, these include topping the best seller lists, winning awards, and turning their work into speaking engagements and long-term book deals. While I wouldn’t turn any of these success measures down, my ultimate goal is simply to spread the message of the Challenge Dividend such that it actually improves the world.
Long ago (I think while writing admissions essays for college) I decided that the meaning of life for me was to “figure out how the world works, and use the lessons to improve it.” Since then I have always used this mission as an influence on career choices, travel, hobbies, reading, and even friendships. A few years later, I read A Study of History by Arnold Toynbee. His books unveiled a deep pattern in history: challenge led to improvement in the development of civilizations. For example, he attributed the Europeans' rise to a tough environment and lots of regional warfare.
As I devoured his thesis my mind raced to other examples where it seemed to hold, from the origin of the species to capitalism to my personal life. What’s more, I could not find anyone who had tied all of these separate examples into a single theme. Maybe I didn’t have all the answers to life, but I seemed to have discovered one insight. Years of reading and research later, I now have a Word document with over 750 pages of examples and notes. Making it public in this blog is one step closer to my goal.
“Changing the world” is a big goal, of course, and I will admit that my odds are pretty low. But this week something special happened that gave me hope. I was having a conversation with one of the people who work in my group. I wanted to understand her work habits and strengths so that I could provide coaching. A smile came across her face and she said, “I just figured out that your blog perfectly captures my work style. When I am fully loaded with challenging work, I do my best. But lately I’ve been slow and dropped some balls.” I was speechless with surprise and pride; better yet, it helped us figure out the best way to harness her energy. It made my year.
Projecting this single story to the rest of the world through a single book or blog is still probably a stretch. But in one small way I have reached my ultimate goal of improving the world; and the fact that it worked for one person gives me just enough hope to keep spending my nights and weekends pursuing this lofty dream.
