The spirit of giving back is at the very essence of a successful life. It is the heritage of our deepest dreams and desires to succeed to such a level that once one has risen to the top, the greatest of those successful people devote a portion of their life to giving back to those that helped in their ascension to success. This epitomizes the very storyline of success, it's Horatio Alger meets Gandhi. I have succeeded and now I am giving back.
Oftentimes it takes someone a lifetime of striving for and achieving success before they stop to consider giving back. It is only in the wake of their own success that they then consider giving back to those that helped them succeed after a lifetime of struggle. But what happens if instead of waiting until the end of our lives we begin giving back today? True success begins the very second we begin giving back and not a moment sooner. Monetary and professional success does not become a complete banquet of a life well lived until every dish is served and giving back is the very foundation of a successful life. It is the appetizer that comes before the main course of living a life of our dreams.
For this is the essence of the tenets of improvisational comedy. In an improvisational comedy scene as a performer it is our job to make our fellow performers look good. We treat each other as artists and poets and we honor the choices that the people surrounding us are making and then we build on those choices to make them better. When we do our jobs we succeed as a group and when we fall short of our intended goal we all share in those given lessons as well.
This is called the group mind. There is an astute knowingness in understanding that we all have a limited perspective or lens. I have one, you have one and everyone who walks this Earth has a limited perspective and for a great many years we as a collective have convinced ourselves that our differences are a hindrance when in reality our differences are the very thing that makes each of us uniquely talented in ways other people are not. When we honor these differences and celebrate them for their uniqueness we open up an entirely new kaleidoscope of possibilities that we may not be able to see because of our limited perspective.
In improvisation, we "give gifts." What does this mean? We do everything in our power to set our fellow improvisors up for success. A great improvisor is never concerned about who gets individual credit for a scene or for an entire show as long as the group collective succeeds. A great improviser is one that will step back from the spotlight in order to allow someone else to shine knowing fully well that everyone will share in the success. We build an atmosphere of trust where credit is spread around equally and by doing this everyone has a feeling of contributing and feeling valued. This is what every great organization and institution strives to become and when people feel valued their loyalty to the cause become stronger.
In the dog eat dog world of a lot of corporate environments this is contrary to the very way most people live their lives. A great many of us only concern ourselves with making our stars shine brightly while disregarding those around us. However, there is a new dawn on our horizon and a new way of approaching life in business and in our personal lives. When we change our lens from one of "taking" to one of "giving" an entire world opens up to us that many of us have never witnessed. It is the world called pure creativity and manifestation.
Given our rather hostile viewpoint of the world these days it seems that more and more people need to look within and become an improviser at heart. When we become open and receptive to the ideas of others and we honor those very ideas we are afforded a new viewpoint that allows us to see the complete horizon of success. The old adage, by giving we receive, is a fundamental law of the universe that has been abandoned for a do it alone mentality that completely closes us off to the magic of group collaboration.
When we come together in groups the power of many minds completely overwhelms the power of a single mind. This is the philosophy that allowed our comedy group Four Day Weekend to become the longest running show in the southwest for 20 years and counting, being named small business of the year in Fort Worth, TX, being awarded the key to the city of Fort Worth and delivering our "yes, and" keynote address to the United States Congress with President Obama in attendance. We did it together because we saw the value in our differing perspectives and talents. We understood that we rise together and we fall together and that by giving to others we receive back to ourselves in an exponential way that couldn't nor wouldn't have occurred had we ventured out alone.
Every organization and person has this capacity. We always say that if a small group of fellow improvisors from very outside Hollywood and New York could eventually get the opportunity to speak before Congress, imagine the things Fortune 500 companies could do if they adopted a principle of celebrating and honoring everyone in the organization. If everyone asked, "How can I help?" as opposed to "What can I get?" we would start to see a much different world around us.
The Universe aligns all its bounty for a generous heart. We must only take that first step towards servitude to the greater good of the cause and this is the greatest act of service we can offer. When we elevate one we elevate all and soon all of our common interests are met and then we begin to transform the world. It is only then that the better world we dream of becomes a reality.
It is up to us to take that very first step. It is up to us to offer a helping hand to those struggling to get up the ladder so that one day we can all become our greatest selves. We stand on each other's shoulders in order to elevate us to our ultimate accomplishments. This is a testament to a new tomorrow. This is the legacy that we can be proud to leave our children. We must only take the first step and in the world of improvisation we clasp hands and take that first step together. It is a step that every person, organization or institution can take together if only we change our lens from competition to cooperation. From receiving to giving.
This is success. Success is celebrating those around you and cheering them on to become their very best selves and in return you will soon hear the cacophonous cheers of those celebrating your journey. Only then is your banquet complete. Only then will you have a story worth sharing with the world.