If everyone is a changemaker, there's no way a problem can outrun a solution
Bill DraytonRead
Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.
Interpretation
Social entrepreneurs strive for systemic change rather than temporary solutions.
The quote by Bill Drayton emphasizes the ambition of social entrepreneurs to create transformative change rather than just providing immediate assistance. They seek to innovate and improve the entire industry surrounding their cause, ensuring sustainable solutions that empower communities long-term rather than merely offering short-term fixes. This mindset drives them to challenge and reshape existing systems for a greater impact.
In practice
In a discussion on effective philanthropy, this quote can highlight the difference between aid and empowerment.
If everyone is a changemaker, there's no way a problem can outrun a solution
Every successful organization has to make the transition from a world defined primarily by repetition to one primarily defined by change. This is the biggest transformation in the structure of how humans work together since the Agricultural Revolution.
The most critical variable [to becoming a change-maker] is one's willingness to give oneself permission. To break the mental chains that make us small because everyone tells us we cannot.
Everyone says you've got to do a foundation and legal structure to finance social change. What nonsense!
There is nothing more powerful than a new idea in the hands of a social entrepreneur
The job of a social entrepreneur is to recognize when a part of society is stuck & to provide new ways to get it unstuck.
My definition of success is to live your life in a way that causes you to feel a ton of pleasure and very little pain - and because of your lifestyle, have the people around you feel a lot more pleasure than they do pain.
Everyone can probably do at least one thing better than ten thousand other people.
First of all, what happens is, when you're good at something, you spend a lot of time with it. People identify you with that sport, so it becomes part of your identity.
Success at the highest level comes down to one question: Can you decide that your happiness can come from someone else's success?
If everything is smooth sailing right from the beginning, we cannot become people of substance and character. By surmounting paining setbacks and obstacles, we can create a brilliant history of triumph that will shine forever. That is what makes life so exciting and enjoyable. In any field of endeavour, those who overcome hardships and grow as human beings are advancing towards success and victory in life.
When you prohibit failure, you kill innovation. If you kill innovation in fundraising, you can't raise more revenue. If you can't raise more revenue, you can't grow. And if you can't grow, you can't possibly solve large social problems.
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