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Reducing the Bravery Shortage

What would happen if you had the courage to stop doing what’s comfortable right now and instead do more meaningful work.

Just two days ago I heard of someone who had.  A colleague of mine told me she saw an update from a former classmate who quit her job.  After graduating one of the best law schools in the world and working at one of the biggest law firms in the world, she finally made the leap to go work at a nonprofit even though she was afraid.

What wonderful news.

In today’s world, taking that leap in spite of fear is not common. In law firms and consulting firms many people also leave, but usually for positions at companies not nonprofits.  In business school, most people aimed for the jobs with the best names and the highest salaries and forget about their passions by the end.  Law school was just the same.  Nearly everyone seeks out the firms with the biggest names.  Don’t get me wrong.  For some people these decisions are the right things to do.

But unfortunately, none of these companies give you a manual on how to eventually do meaningful work.  There is no kit.  No users guide. No terms and conditions. You just have to take the leap of faith, which gets harder and harder the longer you stay.

In today’s internet driven world, we have everything we need in front of us to do meaningful work.  We have the tools. We have the people asking about it. We have the resources to speak up. We have the platform to share our work with the world.

It is only when people are brave enough to stand up that we will actually make change.