We all have a unique story and many ideas — Take the time to share them!
One of my early posts on the Leadership and Community Blog covered the first TEDxTC event. This last week they held their second event and it was as good or even better then the first. A true sign of an outstanding event is when people stay around afterword to talk with each other and share ideas. In the case of TEDxTC the main event, which was attended by almost 500 people, concluded around 9:00 pm and my guess is that there were still about 100 people talking when I left at 10:45 pm – A True Success!
This illustrated to me that people in our community are looking for any opportunity to share ideas and just talk with others about changes each of us can do to make a difference. The entire theme of TED is to get the word out on “Ideas Worth Spreading”.
Each and every one of us has a unique story which we must start spending more time telling. We need to share with each other the ideas we have seen that work and ask questions on those areas we want to learn more about. Too often we feel like we can’t do anything until we have the perfect answer. The reality is if we wait for the perfect answer we most likely will never move.
The key to our ongoing success is to keep making incremental change and learn from it instead of never moving because we are looking for the silver bullet that doesn’t exist. Many of the most complex problems are interrelated with countless other issues in such a way there is no way to decide up front which is the first lever we should pull.
The key call to action of this post is to go out, tell your story and share your thoughts on something you have been thinking about. This act seems so basic but it is what truly brings about change because more people are learning of the idea and also helping you refine it along the way. Keep watch for these opportunities to share your story, experiences and ideas with as many people as you can. Remember Margaret Mead’s quote which is as relevant today as it was when she first said it – ”A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
