Be a Contribution

Yesterday, I was reading a passage in one of my favorite books, seeking inspiration for the flow devotional that I'm currently writing. As I skimmed back through The Art of Possibility, this amazing concept jumped out at me once more:



Don't fall into the trap of playing the success/failure game. Instead of telling yourself, "I failed on this project," ask yourself "How have I contributed to this project in a positive way? How can I be a contribution in my job, my relationships, and my interactions with people today?"


The author, Benjamin Zander (conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra), writes:


I grew up in a traditional Jewish household, which meant, apart from much warmth and chicken soup, an assumption that all the children would be successful. Each evening at the dinner table, for instance, with my parents seated at either end, and we four children between, my father would turn to my eldest brother and say, "What did you do today?" And my brother would describe, at considerable length, all the things he'd accomplished. Then my second brother would be asked the same question, and then my sister. By the time it came to me, I would be a nervous wreck, because usually I didn't feel that what I had done that day was very significant... I grew up with an undertow of anxiety that lasted into my middle age.


Later, I realized that the whole "achievement" thing was made up and that the game of success was just that - a game. I realized I could invent another game. I settled on a game called "I am a contribution." Unlike success and failure, contribution has no other side. It is not arrived at by comparison. I found that the fearful questions, "Is it enough?" and "Am I loved for who I am, or only for WHAT I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED?" could both be replaced by the joyful question, "How will I be a contribution today?"


Refocus your energies into looking over what you considered past failures and asking, "What did I contribute to that job or relationship or situation? How did I impact that person positively? What did I learn?"


If this post has helped change your thinking about a particular situation, or if you have comments, please post a comment here. Thank you!