When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.- Eleanor Roosevelt
The book that this quote is taken from puts ‘making a contribution’ in the context of ordinary day-in and day-out interactions with people, not some big picture thing like my trying to make Real Joe into a sustainable business that makes a cultural impact. For example, I never think of how I could make a contribution when I play racquetball. It seems absurb, initially, but maybe not. In any case, we’re celebrating my daughter’s birthday today by going up to my sons’ apartment in the cities and having dinner, cake and presents before they settle into watch the Super Bowl. I’ll try to be more aware of how I could put myself in the frame of mind of ‘making a contribution’ there.