One draft horse can pull 8,000 pounds,
yet two together can pull 24,000 pounds.
I’ve worked solo most my life. As a result, solo work patterns have prevented me from leveraging the hard work of others. As well as contributing my hard work to further the effort of others.
Prime example: I went to the other side of the world to research the potential insects have in our food chain. I meet with intelligent entomologists who are leading the industry with their groundbreaking research. They’ve dedicated their lives to gather and share information that’s pushing humanity forward. Then I stumble along. Somehow manage to get a few interviews, write a some articles, get a bit inspired … then what? It wasn’t until I move onto the next project that I realized the missed opportunities available at the time. A simple follow-up email could have saved days of work down the road.
Had I set my prideful and selfish ‘do it yourself’ habits aside, and offered my service to elevate the work they’ve already done, who knows how our joined efforts could have propelled the hard work of one another.
From this, I learned that every moment is both the outcome of someone’s energy. Knowing that means there’s always an opportunity to leverage someone’s energy with your own. When people collaborate through a common interest, their combined energy forms a synergy that amounts to creations the team could not have imagined or created solo.
So far the best way I’ve found to expose these opportunities is to take a moment to notice what others have already invested. Once that’s apparent, it’s easier to see how to compliment their effort with your own. This synergy is available to take advantage of in any given moment. What projects are you working on? Who else might be interested? Call them, collaborate. Be of service. Lift others higher. And let yourself be lifted.
