I tend to get much of my inspiration through reading. It is fast, always available and easy. I sometimes find a book resonates well with me but when I go back later, I wonder why I thought it was so good. And sometimes I think is abook is bad but when I re-read it a year later, I love it. I think different books speak to us based on the stage and current challenges we face.
Beverly Schwartz wrote a book called Rippling - How Social Entrepreneurs Spread Innovation Throughout the World.
Social media has changed the way most of us do things in a huge way in the past 10 years. For me, I prefer to use Linkedin to keep contacts. Clearly, I blog. And Tweet. I read blogs. I get more information from a wider variety of places. All because of social media.
I have been thinking about Twitter as a social media. A lot of Twitter is an amplification of news. Good stories get Tweeted and re-Tweeted. And for that matter, Twitter is even a good filtering of information. If a Twitter person that I follow directs me to an article, I will read it (or at least look at it). Interestingly, the actual source of that media can be fairly small (like a blog) so the big media names have to constantly fight to have high quality articles that are worth reading.
In a sense, social media improves the quality of media because of this phenomenon. But I digress...
Rippling talks about how ideas and innovations "ripples" through the world as a result of social media. The title refers to Social as doing good and providing positive change. It is not a blook about how to create the next Facebook. Social media gives us power to do social good.
Rippling presents a model with 5 ways social entrepreneurs change social systems. These model can explain how deep and lasting change can occur.
It is a series of stories of real people who have made a difference in the world together with how they did it.
Rippling talks that "Dreams can defy reality" when there is Purpose, Passion, Pattern (Pattern refers to methods that others can copy) and Participation (of course nothing happens unless people follow).
Quotes "How many things have you not done in this life due to fear of embarrassment or insecurity?" Might that be limiting our possibilities.
At my stage in life, I struggle with trying to make a real impact on the world. Rippling inspires me to think and plan that more. And as with most things - actions win so just do it.
This is a great synopsis. I personally believe that most people are affecting change in the world in a positive way, just by doing what they do every day and moving their families and lives forward. They may not change the world with a major discovery, however, because of them, they bring up children in a positive way and influence how the world will become better a little at a time over time. I recall the 1% change rule, and that is something that people need to strive for in daily life, that impacts everyone positively.
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