Starting Out

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

- Lao Tzu.

It’s easy to be inspired by people who are doing something for the good of others. When you read about them, you feel good and want to help out too. When you join them in actual service, advocacy or enterprise, you are encouraged to do more. At some point you start thinking, how can I seek the good of others too?

The question can become complicated when you think about how neighborhood problems are interconnected with social and economic problems. You might feel that one person’s effort is unlikely to change the situation significantly. A mentor of mine, Tatay Tom Fernandez, called this a form paralysis by analysis.

One solution is to start with small steps. Saul Alinsky, who wrote “Rules for Radicals”, teaches community organizations to start with one-on-one conversations. These talks help to build relationships and surface common issues.

The first idea that comes out from these talks can be refined as you converse with more people and gain a better understanding of the situation. In the world of entrepreneurs, this iterative and flexible approach underlines the “business model canvass” approach. The approach involves writing a simple business model, testing it in the fastest and cheapest way, making adjustments and repeating the process until the enterprise becomes feasible and sustainable. (In contrast, the traditional approach was to write a full-blown business plan, secure funding, and then set up the business according to the plan. If there’s a flaw in the plan, this is discovered after much investment has been plowed into the business).

St Therese of Lisieux said, “You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.” She urges all to “Miss no opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word.”

Another translation of Lao Tzu’s famous piece of wisdom is, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with your foot”. You want to help others? Start with the small things that you can do today.

What steps can you take to know more about the people you want to help?