Collective Success

What if we were to celebrate others’ success as if it were 98% our own? What would that look like, and how excited and inspired would we be in that acknowledgment? From someone you don’t know, like an Olympian at the top of the podium, or a girl who successfully fundraised so that she could go on a field trip, or a CEO who doubled revenue.

Just about everything in life would be worth celebrating.

Well, here’s a thought for you. Your body is made up mostly of water, air, and food. What makes you different and unique from other people is your genetic code which is only a fraction of who you are. Then, 98% of those genes can be found in all humans, and more than 50% of those genes come from yeast.

So, if you’re willing to think through that logic, almost all of you is identical to and lives in everyone else. So, when they succeed, you succeed!

As mentioned in the interview,  it’s so common for us to see the differences we have from other people because it gives us a sense of our individuality. And while that variation is important and powerful, we can also view it from the other end and recognize how much we are the same! This is one of the factors that goes into the cycle of service, relating the two ends of humility to mobilize resources, (humility being a willingness to give without expectation and a willingness to ask for help which helps). When you choose to support someone else, you are supporting yourself because most of what they are is also you in its makeup. And through that lens, we can make the world a better place for all, which is a better place for ourselves.