Have you seen The Social Network?
I watched it recently, and it hit me like a ton of bricks.
Now, I recognize that the movie is full of inaccuracies; it’s not a documentary about the history of Facebook, nor is it an accurate portrayal of Sean Parker, or Zuckerberg himself. Despite all that, it is a great movie, and if you haven’t seen it, then you should.
But this post isn’t a review of the movie.
No, this post is about a lesson that I learned and kick in the butt that I received from the Zuckerberg character depicted in the movie.
That, and the MASSIVE SENSE OF INADEQUECY that I felt about my work and career after watching it…
Am I Jealous of Mark Zuckerberg?
Hearing a statement like that, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that I’m jealous of Zuckerberg’s success.
Actually, even without hearing a statement like that, it’s easy to assume that I would be jealous of Zuckerberg’s success!
Facebook’s growth has been dizzying; they had their first million users in less than a year, now they’re up past 800 million users, and will soon pass the billion user mark.
Last I heard, Facebook was valued at about $100 billion, generates billions of dollars in revenues, and rumor has it that an IPO is in the works to raise $10 billion more. (Cash!)
And there’s also the tequila-shooting and code-writing job interviews, California parties, and groupies – all of which makes it look like an awful lot of fun to be the genius Harvard drop-out who founded Facebook!
Oh, and did I mention that Zuckerberg is one year younger than I am?
Yeah, that’s the part that really gets to me… but not for the reason that you might think…
It’s not about the Money or the Scale… It’s about the Impact
The truth is that I’m not jealous of Zuckerberg’s success.
I don’t want to create a multi-billion dollar company, and I don’t need thousands of employees. I’m not interested in that kind of money, or that kind of stress.
What I am jealous of is the impact that Zuckerberg and others have had on the way that our world functions:
- Mark Zuckerberg changed the way we interact with Facebook
- Tim Berners-Lee changed the way information is shared with the World Wide Web
- Jeff Bezos changed the face of online retailing with Amazon
- Sean Parker changed the music industry with Napster
- Steve Jobs changed the world of personal computing with Apple
- Zennström and Friis changed long-distance calling with Skype
I want to be on that list, and watching the Social Network, and the scale of Zuckerberg’s thinking, reminded me that for a short while, I had forgotten about changing the world.
Just like we all do from time to time…
Why We Forget About Changing the World
Not everybody cares about changing the world, but a lot of people do.
Most people drop out of the race because “it’s just not practical”, or “a few people can’t change the world” (although, as Margaret Mead said, “it’s the only thing that ever has”).
And the few of us who remain often get distracted by the steps along the way.
Because, unlike Zuckerberg, we can’t all change the world from our college dorm room; we can’t all get a million users in less than a year, and we can’t all create a net worth north of a billion dollars while still in our twenties.
Not because we aren’t smart, or talented, or capable, but just because our circumstances are different – Zuckerberg is no doubt a genius, but he was also in the right place at the right time, tackling one of the few ideas capable of sustaining itself so well and so quickly.
The rest of us have to follow a slightly longer path. We have to support ourselves and our vision, which means that we have to create both financial viability, and a platform from which to start making things happen.
And often, along the way, the process of building that platform and financial sustainability distracts us from changing the world, and we never get back to it.
That’s what happened to me. For a short while, I got distracted.
I was distracted by building Firepole Marketing and promoting our training program. I was distracted by launching Motiv808, and then re-launching it as the new-and-improved Bowl of Goals. I was distracted by getting married, and I was distracted by launching Engagement from Scratch!
These are all good distractions – they make me happy, and they better position me to change the world in the way that I want to change it.
The key is to keep at least some of your attention on that overarching goal…
“Do I Have Your Full Attention?”
There is a powerful scene in The Social Network in which Zuckerberg is being deposed, and is visibly uninterested in the proceedings. The opposing attorney asks him “Mr. Zuckerberg, do I have your full attention?”
The scene is less than 90 seconds long – take that time to watch it before you keep reading:
If you look past the condescension and rudeness of the Zuckerberg character, there’s an important lesson here, which is to keep at least some of your attention on the big picture.
That doesn’t mean you won’t deal with the little things, but it does mean that the little things should all tie back to the big thing!
The little things are the day-to-day of living our lives and paying our bills. They’re the campaign that you’re running this month for your business, and the promotion that you’re running next month on your blog.
These should all be steps towards creating the ultimate impact that you want to have. They don’t have to take you far in that direction – after all, they’re just small, everyday steps – but they should be moving you in the right direction.
If they aren’t moving you towards your goals, or they’re moving you away from them, then something needs to change!
Connecting the Dots to Paint Your Ideal World
The Social Network reminded me to connect the dots of what I’m doing to the goal of what I want to create. Once I did that, the feeling of inadequacy was gone.
Changing the world is a long process, and you’ll pass through a lot of waypoints as you work your way towards it.
Start with your ultimate goal, and work backwards; what are the prerequisites for your goals to be met? What needs to be in place for you to be able to make it happen? And what do you need in order to put those things in place?
Keep on backtracking, until you arrive at something that you can do today.
Right now.
The list may be long, but that’s okay – mine involves dozens of steps, and will take me over a decade!
Which is fine.
The key is to keep moving in the right direction.
Before you can do any of this, though, you need to get clear on what impact you want to have in the first place.
How will you change the world?
So I’ll ask you: what is it that you want to change?
It can be anything you want, big or small; the beauty of really big goals is that they don’t have to be met on a tight timeline.
It may take a long time, and it will definitely take a lot of work – but it’ll be worth the work, and worth the wait.
So what do you think? Are you ready to start changing the world?
We’re starting a new year, and this is when people commit to the really big things that they want to achieve.
Some of them even stick with it, and make it happen.
Will you be one of those people?
How are you going to change the world?
Danny Iny (@DannyIny) is an author, strategist, serial entrepreneur, expert marketer, and the Freddy Krueger of Blogging. Together with Guy Kawasaki, Brian Clark and Mitch Joel, he wrote the book on how to build an engaged audience from scratch.
{ 85 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting thoughts here Danny.
Scale is important, you mention you were busy getting married – I bet you changed your wife’s world that day not matter what Facebook did. Sure you may have shared your wedding pics and had your Klout score boosted 10 points from all the comments from friends around the world… but you changed her world. You.
It’s a childish thing to be jealous. I’m 39 and I still have to get a grip of that emotion and the best way I can do that is to channel it into something I can control, develop and grow. Sometimes I win, sometimes I don’t.
I have your book (thanks btw) and whilst reading it I thought I could have done this but the truth is yes I could have done this but I didn’t and I wouldnt have done it as well. It’s not part of my journey to have a book with 20+ fab contributors sharing their story, my path is different. I am busy battling the EU and their crazy cookie laws.
When we step back and see our own paths and see how they cross, intertwine and go there own way we can get a better perspective. It’s here I can say, you know what I’d never have wanted to created Facebook. I’d never create a tool like Google but I can change the world one person at a time through reaching out to them and that is a precious thing.
I would like to say I wish I could write as well as Aaron Sorkin but I am too busy having fun to hone the skill. I’ll settle for writing like me and being remembered as the girl who thought getting married was worth more than creating Facebook
That’s a great point, Sarah, I think I did change her life that day, and she definitely changed mine.
Maybe I overstated a bit with the use of the word “jealousy” – I’m not jealous of Zuckerberg, really, but it did give me a clear sense that maybe I wasn’t thinking as big as I wanted to be – not about what I’ve already done, but more about what I could/should/want to be doing next.
Besides, Sarah, you’ve done a pretty good job of changing the world one person at a time!
Here’s why I don’t think it’s shameful or bad to admit you are “jealous” of someone: sice each person is surrounded by their own external circumstances & have their own internal aspiration, you’ll always notice in other people the things YOU want for yourself ; they, on the other hand, might think nothing of their great “fortune” and be willing to give it away for something that seems more valuable in their eyes.
For example: Danny, you told me the other day you started Jujitsu when you were 16 and that you were trained as a Krav Maga instructor in the army. I was like, damn! I’d have wanted to have been there and done that! But I never did. You probably don’t see that in such an exciting light as I do – and you’d tell me – “hey, i’d trade all that time I spent for having started growing my business earlier”. Maybe not – but it’s just an example.
But the point is, we live in the present – and so your past successes have inspired me to the steps I’m going to take NOW to achieve my goals and be happy – so for example, I’m thinking of starting to learn brazillian Jiujitsu (which i’ve wanted to do for a while – but my interaction with you has prompted me to actually put that into action!)
Hey Shai, I don’t think anyone has a problem with the *admission* – I think it’s the feeling itself that raises concern.
Seriously, though, I think it’s important to distinguish between jealousy, which is generally a destructive emotion, and the cross between inspiration and a kick in the butt to get moving that can actually lead to better things for us all.
Glad to hear you’re going to start training – where are you going to go?
There are some guys in my Judo who train brazillian jiujitsu in clubs that are around – so I’ll most likely join one of the clubs where they are training.
Especially that I see how awesome these guys are at ground fighting and I want to learn those same skills
this goes right back to the idea of learning those qualities which you like in others.
Hi Danny,
The quality Mark Z and all influential folks possess is this: they think Big Picture, all the time.
Most would be terrified to be deposed. He was flippant, because he thought Big Picture, and wouldn’t let a small thing like a court case get to him, or distract him from his ultimate goal.
When I ran into strong resistance I wasn’t quite as cool as a cucumber but I still held my vision. The day to day stuff tends to sidetrack most but the few real world-changers ignore the little things or deal with them quickly, then move forward with Big Picture in mind.
Thanks for sharing your insight Danny. Super inspiring post here.
RB
I hear you, Ryan. It hit me like a ton of bricks when I saw the movie because I had let myself get distracted.
You know, I’ve found that sometimes it’s easier to stay focus when things are tough than it is to stay focused when things are just *busy* – that’s what knocks my attention away from the big picture, at least.
Excellent post! As we spend time with our families this holiday season, it is a fantastic time to think over your goals. Is your goal something that will be of value to others? If so, then start making a plan of how to implement it going into the new year. Take out a piece of paper and pen, (yes, those old, antique items we used to use!), write down your ultimate goal, then break it down into smaller goals, or steps, to get to the ultimate. It does take time (alot of time) to reach the ultimate goal. If you do not have the passion for it, then don’t do it, because you are not being truthful to yourself or anyone else, and there are too many people trying to do untruthful businesses out there. Be of value to yourself and others and the rest will come. What goes around, comes around.
Happy holidays to all, see you in 2012.
I agree with you, buddy, and there will definitely be some interesting conversations around the holiday table this year!
And yeah, sure, it’ll take time, but it would be almost weird if you could achieve your ultimate goal too quickly – what would you do after that, right?
Happy holidays!
I can’t really do much more than agree with everything you have said Danny.
You really hit the nail on the head with regards to “changing the world”. I want to be happy more than I want to be successful, and whilst financial wealth is a wonderful thing, having a legacy is far more valuable (in my opinion).
And secondly, I lose perspective far too easily, and I don’t plan well enough. That all changes in 2012. In approximately two hours, I will be unemployed, and will have no excuses to not be fully focused on my business.
Cheers!
Tom
Congratulations, Tom, that’s huge! I’m super-excited for you, and excited to see what you do in 2012.
I like to say, when times are hard and you feel like things are moving slowly or aren’t exactly going well: “I don’t know what to think; I just know what I have to do”.
This puts me at ease – if I know that the next action will move me towards my long-term goal, hard as it is to make – I’ll just do it, and in hindsight more often than not it becomes clear that that was exactly the right decision at the time!
That’s the best thing that you can do to keep moving forward, Shai – focus on the single next action. Thanks for sharing!
Amen, preach on, and testify, brother!
Meaning moves us, and the big “WHY” of what we’re doing is far more important than the actual, physical actions that play out.
There’s a deeper lesson here, methinks:
I’d go so far as to suggest that the more focused and clear you are on the big picture, the more naturally the small actions unfold, and the more fun it ends up being — at least, that’s how it is for me
The world’s true visionaries make their big picture surround them. Steve Jobs = Think Different. Bruce Lee = Total Expression. Google = Together We Can Bring Order To The Galaxy.
These huge visions keep these guys succeeding.
Haha, thanks, Jason!
Here’s to keeping the big picture at the top and front of our minds in 2012, and achieving our big goal together.
How does one respond to this clip from “The Social Network”? Granted, the impact of Zuckerberg’s character’s response in this clip is so perfectly crafted we must all see that even though our lives are not scripted beforehand we do have the ability to respond similarly.
Being innovative and with an ability or desire to be thusly inspired by such rhetoric is where entrepreneurs stand out!
It is said that envy is a waste of time but envy can also motivate; depending on how we internalize those thoughts. We are all deserving of such moments, those in which we inspire and those in which we are inspired. Creatively centered entrepreneurs must rely on their intuition, their inner value and respect and trust in their ideas to follow through. Viewing such messages only fuels the inspiration and should not deter from anyone’s ultimate goals.
I completely agree with you, Bonnie – the value of the message is inspiration, both to think big, and to keep on taking action.
Danny,
Changing the world is not always a world changing event. There are times when the simple steps we take in daily life impact the world in ways we neither expected nor always know about. Having said that, I do indeed want to change the world in a very purposeful way.
And, not unlike yourself, I sometimes have to step off the merry-go-round in order to remember the big picture, the crazy idea, the major goal that means the impact I bring to the world will resonate not in my ears alone.
Thanks for the reminder Danny.
I think it comes down to a flywheel effect; you push the flywheel over and over, and it spins faster and faster, until it has all this momentum keeping it going. It’s not any particular push that did it, but rather all of them together, just like the small, simple steps that bring us towards the game-changing effect that we want to have on the world.
Yes, flywheel!
This is the kind of post I can get behind. I’m a little bored of the Internet marketing jabber going on all over the blogosphere. Even the expert internet marketers out there are really just working for a living (althought their jobs are much higher paying than mine). The real experts are not blogging and chanting and generating email lists, the are changing the world as you say. The blogging and the little projects really are distractions, if you’re capable of more. It’s totally true. I’ve been struggling with the same issues. Where I’ve made most of my money and had most of my success is in real businesses, not web businesses. People need REALITY. Distractions are fine, and some people make some money from other people. I am in the space of parenting blogs where people just basically read each other’s family stories and high five each other in a perpetual circle. It’s the same with the Internet marketing space, and probably most spaces.
I have had great ideas that did come to fruition … by someone else. It’s because I was distracted and lacked the commitment to do it. It isn’t good to be jealous or pine for other’s success, but it is good to be realistic about one’s own potential and whether they are coming close. Facebook isn’t anything that special from a technical point of view, and it was one of many social platforms except it got the biggest. Many of use could have done a facebook, me included. But I didn’t even try.
I really enjoyed this post.
Thank you, Alex, I’m so happy to hear you say that!
I know what you mean – much of the conversation in the internet marketing world (and to be fair, in most conversations in general) is rehashing the same tired stuff, and misses a lot of the bigger picture. I think the IM space in particular has a fishbowl-vision problem, where they think they’re their own breed of business and have to reinvent the wheel, rather than recognizing that they’re businesses like lots of others, and could learn a lot from what works in the real world (and, further, that they are PART of the real world!).
We all have great ideas, and the truth, as you know, is that ideas are a dime a dozen. It’s execution and implementation that separates the talkers from the do-ers, and that’s what I want 2012 to be all about.
Danny, this post is outstanding (I’ve shared it on LinkedIn and FB). But what is most impressive to me, here and on your other posts, is the effort you commit to personally responding to each comment. Kudos to you! You are a great model.
Joel, thank you so much for sharing!
I don’t always make it to interact with all the comments, but I try – I figure it’s the least I can do when people take the time to read my work and leave their very thoughtful perspectives on it all.
Happy holidays, Joel!
It is so difficult to NOT get distracted with all of the little things that need to be done every day. It is that old choice between “urgent” and “important”. Perhaps, at least for me, it would be helpful to take just ten minutes each week to think about my overarching, long-term goal and whether I am heading toward it or getting sidetracked. My goals are more spiritual in nature, but that, to me, makes it even more important to not get caught up in simply writing but to keep my focus on what is truly important. Thanks for this post, for this really great reminder!
I’d say, just think about it all the time! Keep your mind focused on the horizon and you’ll be doing the small things automatically! Whenever you’re on the bus or in the shower or waiting in line, just ponder the Big Picture!
An even better idea!
Tell me about it!
I actually used to do that, as part of a practice that I learned from a couple of very different sources (a book called 3 Questions for a Frantic Family, and another book called Everyday Holiness) – ten minutes each Friday to double-check that I’m on track towards my goals.
I should really get back to it, shouldn’t I? I guess I got distracted…
HI Danny,
Quite an impact bearing post! I have seen it && must admit, I was in the minority when I said the movie was just that, “a movie” – you hit on many key points, especially that clip! It is a scene I point out every time I watch it. Thanks for reminding some of us that wanting to have an impact on the world is not so far fetched of an idea – as you say, “Changing the world is a long process, and you’ll pass through a lot of waypoints as you work your way towards it.”
Happy Holidays!
XoXo, Meo
thought i’d try out the keyword feature, apparently i’ll have to keep trying – lol!
Thanks so much, Meo! I was really blown away by the movie, and I’m glad that I was able to share a little bit of why.
Happy holidays!
It’s pretty crazy how you formulated a whole post like this just based off a few scenes from a movie.
Bravo on extracting ideas from a movie and turning it into a great and insightful post.
I think this bring a lot of us back to our main focus of what we’re doing. We get so wrapped up in our ways of doing things, we almost lose focus of our true desires and goals.
Just an overall great post, Dan. Thanks for reminding me to stay on track
Thanks, Paul, I’m glad you liked it! The movie was really impactful for me, and I’m glad I was able to share a little bit of why that was so. The key is for us all to remember why we’re really doing what we’re doing – as long as we do that, everything else will take care of itself.
So why are we doing what we’re doing?
Well, we each have a different answer. I know what mine is. What’s yours?
The honest answer is that I don’t know yet, I’m still forming or discovering my ultimate purpose. And what is yours? Do you share it with the world?
That’s cool – the first step is figuring out what you want it to be.
As for me, I share it with my wife and close friends – everyone else will have to wait and see.
Danny — I appreciate your sharing your frustrations with us. I’d like to be a little bit of a contrarian here. Why do you feel it’s necessary to change the world? Not to be critical, but it seems a little presumptuous. As individuals, I think we can count ourselves as successful if we changed one person’s life for the better. Being open to helping others and sharing our skills and wisdom can change a person’s life. I’ve been on the receiving end of this kind of caring and I know that it has changed my life immeasurably. You also mention setting goals — I believe you see goal setting and changing the world as one and the same. Maybe I’m wrong. But setting a goal for yourself and achieving it is changing the world — your world. Not all of us can be the next Mark Zuckerberg, but it really doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself have I been a good person, have I extended my hand to someone who needed help? Have I done what I need to do to have a good life? That is different for each individual.
Jeannette, thank you for your thoughtful comment. I had to think about how to respond to this, because I have mixed feelings about it.
On the one hand, I think that creating a good life for yourself and your loved ones, and positively impacting even a single person is definitely worthwhile and valuable.
On the other hand, though, I think that in many cases, the rationale of “helping just one person is enough” is an excuse to think smaller than we have the potential of thinking.
There are a lot of things in the world that could be a lot better for a lot of people, and if nobody steps up to try and change it, it will never change. I’m not saying that everybody has to do that, but if everybody thinks it’s presumptuous to think big, then nothing will ever get better.
I think it comes down to looking at the world around you – whether that world is you and your family, or that world is the entire world – and ask yourself how you want to make it better. That’s a personal question, and any answer is legitimate, as long as the answer is honest and true.
But then I think that we have a responsibility to try and make it happen.
What do you think? Does that make sense to you?
This reminds me of an old tale: there was a man who looked and the world and the people that inhabit it and suddenly realised how lacking everyone is; how sad this world is; how limited people are. He started preaching to people to become better; to strive for more; to help a fellow friend. And the more he preached the more people ignored him. No one listened to him. So he decided to shift his focus on only helping his friends and family. And he started trying to teach them; but they didn’t listen and never changed; so he decided to only focus on his wife and children – the dearest to him. But they never listened or responded to his efforts – hard as he tried. Finally he decided to only focus and change himself. He worked on himself for years, not telling everyone about his efforts. And lo and behold, his family started responding to it positively – his children got inspired by the changes he made in himself. Then his wife was impressed by his new and imrpvoed character. People in his job started seeing him in a new light, and his farther friends started hearing about the great things he does! And slowly, with hard work, by making himself better he indeed made the world better!
Lesson to me – there is no contradiction – think big, but focus on changing yourself!
Danny — I wish I hadn’t used the word presumptuous because wanting to change the world is a legitimate and noble goal. We’re actually pretty close in our thinking – as you say “I think it comes down to looking at the world around you — whether the world is you and your family, or that world is the entire world — and ask yourself how you want to make it better.” You’re correct when you say that we can come up with all kinds of excuses to think smaller and not put in the time and effort to make things better while at the same time stretching to reach our goals. I just think that not everyone is a Mark Zuckerberg and that we need to be honest with ourselves about what we are capable of achieving in our own world, given our time, resources and personal situation. Thanks for taking the time to craft your thoughtful response. I think somehow by taking the time to mull this over we’ve both pretty much arrived at the same place.
“I think somehow by taking the time to mull this over we’ve both pretty much arrived at the same place.” – Yup, I couldn’t agree more. Thanks so much for the discussion, Jeannette, it’s been fun and insightful!
Thanks for a great read!!! It’s interesting though, I see the movie in a completely different light… Mark Z didn’t seem to have the big picture in mind, it seemed more that he was driven from hurt and anger and a desire to show the world what he was made of, rather than a desire to change the world for the better (according to the movie). And yes he did have a great impact and it is amazing what he accomplished, but look how many people were hurt in the process (again, according to the movie). But the movie had the same effect on me actually. I also got the ‘I’m not doing enough to save the world blues’! I try to remind myself though that we each have a unique gift to give to this world so the more we can live and work in authenticity the more we have to give…
I’m not sure I agree with that, Mette – I think the Zuckerberg character did have the big picture in mind, but I agree that it was for a dumb reason (“I’m going to revolutionize everything to teach my ex-girlfriend a lesson”).
And yeah, I agree that in a lot of ways, he isn’t a character to emulate – he hurt a lot of people, didn’t particularly care, and frankly I think the “added value” of Facebook to the world is very questionable – I would certainly hope that my contribution would be more substantial than a streamlining of our instincts towards gossip.
It’s the whole “take what works, and leave the rest” – with the movie, what worked for me was the “think big” message. The rest was just entertaining…
“and frankly I think the “added value” of Facebook to the world is very questionable”
lol…awesome line
I see it as Zuckerberg provided us with a revolutionary connectivity tool, period. And like all tools, (eg: a hammer or a gun), how that tool is used is more indicative of the mindset of the user(s) rather than the well-intentioned, passionate creator.
It takes a lot of resourcefulness to create something substantial, but it takes not much at all to gossip.
That`s what I`d love to see… the gossipers, the haters, the masses, whoever… all of them using their capabilities to contribute much more than ‘gossip’.
(but even gossip has it’s place…)
Anyway, let me go on record giving Mark props for what he has very clearly contributed. Great article, great discussion
Absolutely true, Jason. Actually, on that note, I think you’d have an absolute blast reading Clay Shirky’s book Cognitive Surplus (or check out his TED Talk about the same). If you get to check out his ideas, let me know what you think!
You’ve recommended him to me before, and I got Seth’s newsletter when Clay’s book debuted
I’m definitely interested, and will take the plunge into it soon
I adore your reading list 
Cool, Jason. You should start with the TED video – it’s great.
OMFG.
Yes.
<3 Clay.
He gets me.
Thanks for this
Haha, you’re welcome, Jason.
Hi Danny,
A really great post. You’re right, we do let life get in the way. Sometimes you have to let things (family, friend) fill in some of your time or else you become unbalanced. But of course, life can then become unbalanced in the other direction. I believe this is one of the most difficult things to control in your life, but without that balance you can end up with a distorted view of why you do what you do.
Annyway, your post has reminded me I’m letting things slip by being busy at things that may not be taking me to my goals.
Take care, have a great Christmas & an exciting new year.
Steve Mulry
I think that’s a really great point, Steve – life is a marathon, not a sprint, and so we have to make sure our efforts are sustainable, which is where friends, family, leisure, and so forth all come into the picture. It’s a tough balancing act not let one crowd out the other, and I’d be lying if I said that I’ve figured it out already – but at least we’re trying, right?
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Really great post! Congratulations, Danny! It’s my favorite scene in “The social Network”. Thanks for sharing, again.
Thanks, Michael, I’m really glad you liked it!
Oops, sorry, I mean Jack. Sign.
It’s probably what everyone should set to do, to go out and change the world for the better. But as the late, great MJ sang, “If you want to make the world a better place, take a long at yourself and make a change.” Everyone has probably heard the song over and over, but we forget that the first thing we need to do before trying to change the world is improve ourselves and become awesome examples of an idea that we want to impart to the world.
Well put Josh.
I’ll echo Steve and say “very well put” – I couldn’t agree with you more.
I love this! I firmly believe that pop culture holds some important keys to what life is about.
Anytime someone is quoting one of the world’s great musicians, it’s almost certain that it’s ‘well put.’
Danny — Great post. I just wanted to take a moment to share that I think you’re a terrific writer. I enjoy reading your posts because they come across so authentic, and they certainly inspire me. Keep up the fabulous work and have a best year yet in 2012. Smiles!
Thank you so much, Connie, you’ve made my day!
I’ll keep on writing as long as you keep on reading, and I look forward to lots of exciting stuff from you in 2012!
Hey Danny,
Long time! I hope you are well. This is a great post! I believe that we can all achieve something big, but like you said, there are a number of large obstacles which make it difficult. Most people usually give up before they’ve got there, which is hardly surprising.
I certainly believe that we should always be working towards our goals, but its easy to get distracted. Very powerful scene from The Social Network. Great movie!
Wishing you all the best for 2012.
Robert
PS Congratulations on Engagement from Scratch, you did an amazing job!
Hey Robert, it’s great to hear from you – you just disappeared off of my radar, and I couldn’t find you anymore. What are you up to? What’s new?
Hey Danny, thanks. Yeah I’ve been a little quiet for a bit. Just been working hard and moved to a new blog, but not really committed to spending much time on it yet. Hopefully I’ll have more time in 2012, I’ve just been so busy. How’s things with you? Working hard as usual? How’s married life?
Things are great with me, Robert – I love married life (still getting used to it), and yeah, of course, still working hard – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What are your goals for 2012? Why the new blog if you aren’t committed to it? (not criticizing, just asking)
Thanks, Danny. It is so easy to start seeing the means as an end in and of itself and forget what the real ends are. Thanks for re-focusing us.
Can I ask you what *your* vision for changing the world is? If you said it somewhere in the comments, sorry for being repetitive (I didn’t read through all of them). And if you’d prefer to keep it personal, that’s fine.
Thanks again!
I know – it happens to me far too often than I’d like to admit. But our saving grace is that as long as we frequently course-correct, we can get to our destination even if we’re off course much of the time.
As for my vision of changing the world, I’ve learned that while sharing short-term goals is good, sharing the bigger ones isn’t always a good idea; I’ve shared it with my wife, business partner, and my close friends and family, but everyone else is going to have to just wait until I manage to pull it off.
Interesting point, and is in line with my philosophy on vision-sharing.
I believe sharing one’s ‘big vision’ is directly related to personal ability to trust, have faith, and follow one’s intuition.
Very true. And wise of you to keep your vision quiet. There’s a phrase in Hebrew that you’re probably familiar with: “There is only blessing in what is hidden from the eye.” So keep it hidden, and good luck achieving it.
Toda raba, Aviva.
And don’t worry, if I manage to make it happen, you’ll know. 
Hi Danny,
Excellent message from you Danny,
This is the right formula for success. I have often talked about the fact that we will never have the right resources( be it time, money or people). All we have is a vision and anything that can help us to make it true. Zuckerberg would have had no idea that his company is going to be a 100b dollars company. he liked the idea of making things happen and he persisted on it.
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Not everyone can be like him but people who start their journey towards their goals are much better than those who probably never took a step.
This post provides the right roadmap to build a profitable business. No matter there will be failures setbacks and distractions but then having a great focus will make sure that we will get to the place where we wanted to be one day
Thanks for sharing this.
I’m so glad that you think so, Ashvini! I agree with you – not everyone will make it all the way, but you’ll never know how far you can go until you start acting, and actually find out.
Danny,
This is the Tips buddy. I can honestly say that I had similar feelings watching that movie.
“It’s not about the Money or the Scale… It’s about the Impact”
This statement is the bell ringer. Impact… This is a concept I want to think a little more on but my initial thought is that all Impact creates change. Even small changes…
Impact…
Thanks for a great post.
Ryan H.
I totally hear you Ryan, and I agree!
Focusing on impact, raises an interesting point for me:
It seems that fulfilling “Impact” is *very often* (but not always) related to money and scale.
For example…
Am I happy and fulfilled to change 1 life, when I know I have inside me the power to change millions? No, then I feel frustration.
Am I happy to change 100 lives, when I felt it’d be pushing myself to change 10? Definitely.
Basically, not only do we have big picture visions, but we also have smaller visions of the “impact” that suits us.
It is very closely related to money and scale, because no matter what your impact is all about, it’s going to scale up the more people you reach.
Zuckerberg’s story is just so inspiring. At such a young age he has accumulated so much wealth, Zuckerberg is motivating. Changing the world is a very big challenge and it should come from all of us. Each one of us may not make it big but I believe its the small steps we take which brings a big difference in our lives. By trying to positive, by trying to make our lives better we can make this world a better place.
Thanks for chiming in, John. Actually, I’m not as impressed with the money that Zuckerberg has made as I am with impact that he has had on the world; he’s really changed the way that people interact with each other, and I think that’s really cool.
I agree that not everybody can have that same scale of impact, but I think the least we can all do is try.
Danny,
Thanks for suggesting that I check out this post. It is absolutely great! Reminds me of being in church and feeling like the pastor is talking right to you. Wednesday I went to a local high school to volunteer for their Financial Aid drive. While talking with the College Bound rep about my thoughts on financial literacy and investing he asked me “Ms DaCosta, what is it that you want to do? You do real estate, you have a non-profit, you do consulting, you are all over the place” And I told him that “I want the world and everything in it”. What I really meant was that I want to be a voice of change and have global impact. Much to think about. Much to do. Much to impact. Thanks again!
Aisha
Aisha, I’m thrilled that you found the post helpful and valuable. You’re going to go far, and it’s going to make a big difference to a lot of people. I look forward to being a part of that.
Danny,
This is a great topic you’ve covered here. I wish I’m the one that wrote this.
I’ve seen the film ‘Social Network’ and I continue to like Mark for what he’s done. One thing I discover is this, if you really want to change the world, you’ll get on some people’s toes and you have to fight your way to the top esp in this new dispensation we found ourselves in.
This post has gingered me once more and i’m going to continue to work on my dream of changing the world.
What i want to do is simple, create one of the best Awards Ceremony in my country (Nigeria) that has no B.S. in it and the intl organization can reference to it as well.
Sheyi
Thank you so much, Sheyi, that’s very kind of you to say.
I think that’s a really valuable insight – you can’t change the world without ruffling a few feathers. That doesn’t give us license to be insensitive or mean-spirited, of course, but it does mean that when someone complains a bit, we shouldn’t take it too personally.
Go for it, Sheyi, and I’d love for you to update me about how your awards ceremony plans come together!
Yup, it takes courage to cope with setbacks and negative comments. Imagine someone sent me message telling me i’m a fool without a good reason, i just have to by-pass and continue working on my dream.
As per the award, its so cheap here that I’d be spending around $2.5M only which i intend to raise all on my own. I don’t have a dime now but it’s all going to work out fine and i will surely let you know Danny.
Sheyi
Thanks for sharing this with the rest of us. You have taught me a lot by writing this post.
I do not want to change the world; I don’t want that kind of responsibility. But I want to make an impact to some people with what I do. However, there are lots of times when I find myself at a loss mainly because I am distracted with a lot of things. I can relate to a lot of the things you mentioned and ven though I know what to do to avoid it, I always find myself realizing that it is easier said than done.
Now I know I have to start at the end. Thanks for telling us that. If you were able to do it, I am confident a lot of us can
You’re very welcome, Wowie, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Isn’t making an impact on people a small way of changing the world? I think that matters every bit as much – it all counts!
The key, as you said, is focus. Starting at the end, and working your way back.