Contribution

While finishing up the last few chapters of Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, I came across the following quote that was extremely thought provoking:

This is the moment — this is the most important moment right now.  Which is: We are about contribution.  That’s what our job is.  It’s not about impressing people.  It’s not about getting the next job.  It’s about contributing something.

The quote above was Benjamin Zander, a well known teacher and speaker who just happens to be the conductor for the Boston symphany orchestra.

What got me about this quote was the fact that it calls for one to totally immerse oneself in the moment.  And simply contribute.  This, in my opinion, is extremely difficult thing to achieve.  All our lives, we’re trained and reinforced to plan and plan and plan.  Think ahead about the next step.  Will I get appreciated?  Will I get promoted?  Do my actions impress other people?  That statements calls for all the opposites.  Be immersed in the moment and contribute to the current state of things.  The rest will take care of itself.  I like that.

Chop Chop

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