Give thanks in a big audacious way
Every so often we’re reminded to take a moment and reflect upon what we have. To be thankful.
It compels us to take stock and think about what we might give back. We may consider things like volunteering our time or donating to a cause. Noble acts with the ability to touch multiple lives. And to take us from simply being thankful to actually giving thanks.
Time and treasure
If you’re like me, what you’d like to be able to do outpaces your resources. Somewhere between paying bills and saving for the future lies the amount you can contribute to a cause. Somewhere between your work hours and the family obligations lies the time you can dedicate.
We have two assets - time and treasure. The amount of good we can do is equal to the amount of our time and treasure we have to give. Let’s face it, there is only so much money and so much time in the day to give. Which led me to two options:
- We could all rapidly become insanely wealthy. Unlimited resources wealthy (don’t ask me how, I’m brainstorming over here.) And then we could really give.
- We could all quit our jobs and go to work for a not-for-profit. Cash in our 401(k)s and give it all away.
Needless to say, I struggled with both these scenarios. It made me think that there had to be something I was missing.
And then I started to think about all those work hours.
What if
I thought about what I do every day. How I help companies build clarity around their brands. I thought about how those brands have the potential to touch thousands of lives.
A question started to form.
What if we could imbue those brands with something more than rational or functional reasons for people to care? What if we could help those company brands dig deeper and discover the larger purpose that they served? What if we helped them see the profound effect they could have on an individual life? A community. The world.
We wouldn’t be limited by our individual time and treasure. We would be leveraging the brands we work with every day. To spread more goodness in the world.
This wouldn’t be at the expense of growth or profit. No, people love brands that demonstrate this kind of purpose. They flock to them. Because they have meaning. And that is something that is in short supply in today’s over-amped, over-hyed, and over-accelerating world. We can give people the opportunity to align with that meaning.
Crazy? You can call it that, but I’d prefer to call it Big Audacious Meaning.
Imagine the difference we can make in thousands of lives that the brand touches – simply by discovering or rediscovering that Big Audacious Meaning that is at the core. Could you make that happen for your company? For your brand? Imagine the profound effect it could have.
Give thanks
As I reflect on what I have, I am thankful for what I have been given – especially, this purpose. My own Big Audacious Meaning.
I am thankful. Because now I feel like I have a chance to give thanks. In a big audacious way.
Dan Salva is a co-founder of Will & Grail, with more than three decades of experience in brand marketing and developing and implementing go-to-market strategies. He can be reached at dsalva@willgrail.com.