July 2010 Letter to the Community
Submitted by WeStrive on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 17:52
Dear WeStrive Community, 
This morning, at 12:00A exactly, a community-wide research opportunity came to a close: it was an effort in co-creating the materials for this weekend’s Meet-up around the theme of social media’s effects in and on our lives. We invited our network to share their answers to three questions in any way that they wanted—email, text, Tweet, a message, a videoblog—and we received some wonderful answers! Tomorrow we will release the co-created video that Meet-ups around the world will be able work with during their gatherings. The three questions we posed were meant to inspire us all to begin to really understand just how effective social media is:
- What is social media?
- How does social media impact my life?
- How can I use it to benefit and do good in the world?
April 2010 Letter to the Community
Submitted by WeStrive on Fri, 04/16/2010 - 22:34
Dear WeStrive Community,
A couple years ago, my wife put a little cut out piece of paper on our refrigerator with the quote: “Don’t worry about what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.” The quote, from Howard Thurman, initially affected me so much, not because I wasn’t doing what made me come alive, but because I was also worrying about what the world needed – and that was the reason I was initiating in the world.The fire behind my work came, and continues to come, out of a deep sense of responsibility to the world; there is such a burden that needs to be carried. By virtue of the fact that I recognized that need, it became my responsibility to respond.
When I read that little piece of paper, however, something in me shifted. If I began by looking at what I loved to do – what truly made me come alive - I could do the same work, but could do it out of love both for myself and for the world. I could honor my own life while at the same time serving the lives of others. I think that realization has helped sustain me in contribution to the initiatives I take part in.
The truth of the matter is that the world desperately needs us to take initiative. It needs us to give our time, energy and resources to help solve the issues and questions we face today. But we must find a way to do our work – to take initiative – in a way that sustains our lives individually, as well. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. Read more »
