The 5 Responsibilities We Owe the World

Dear Younger Me,

I was able to read someone’s thoughts last week.

But not in the way you might expect…

Earlier this week I was watching a Steven Bartlett video. One of the scenes is him working out in a gym in Abu Dhabi, but it is different.

Amidst the quick cuts and energetic music, the scenes swift to him scrambling to write something down in his phone.

The camera zooms in…

They are his thoughts.

The brilliant ideas. The solemn reflections. The fleeting moment furiously trying to be captured in between sets of curls.

One of the notes that the camera focuses on is a rather large paragraph about responsibility.

More specifically, five different types of responsibility that we owe the world:

• Health and Fitness

• Family

• Personal Potential

• Professional Potential

• Helping Others.

I will be diving deeper into these five responsibilities for the remainder of this letter.

Feel free to jump to any of the sections below:

The Letter, in Summary

• Inspiration for this week’s letter:

• Responsibility to your Health

• Responsibility to your Family

• Responsibility to your Professional Potential

• Responsibility to your Personal Potential

• Responsibility to Helping Others

Let’s dive in.

Inspiration for this week’s letter:

A fantastic video in full, but for the impatient, skip to 11:43 for the exact time.

Responsibility to your Health

Our bodies are the vessels where we experience every moment of our lives.

Making the commitment to health and fitness not just a personal duty but a foundational responsibility to the world around us.

Research underscores the ripple effect of personal health on societal productivity and happiness, revealing that individuals who prioritize their physical well-being tend to contribute more positively to their communities.

Beyond the research, more and more influencers and celebrities are investing more money into their personal health, businesses related to health, and into their content where they push healthier living.

Integrating routine exercise and a balanced diet into our daily lives isn't just about personal gains; it's about enhancing our capacity to engage with, support, and inspire others.

Start small: a daily walk, a commitment to hydration, or choosing whole foods over processed options can be the first step towards fulfilling this profound responsibility.

Responsibility to your Family

The names we inherit carry with them the weight of history and legacy, presenting us with a profound choice: to carry on the legacy as it is or to rewrite its future.

This responsibility transcends mere bloodline—it's about the values, traditions, and stories that have shaped us and how we choose to evolve them.

Engaging deeply with our family heritage, whether broken or proud, offers a unique opportunity to understand our past's strengths and shortcomings, empowering us to forge a legacy that aligns with our aspirations and values.

This isn’t just about honoring those who came before us but about consciously contributing to the narrative that will guide future generations. By reflecting on the legacy we’ve inherited, we can decide what to carry forward and what new chapters we wish to write, ensuring our family name stands for principles we’re proud to pass down.

Embrace this responsibility by crafting a legacy that melds respect for the past with a vision for a future marked by growth, integrity, and love.

Responsibility to your Professional Potential

Our professional lives normally take up the most total time out of the five responsibilities.

Our professional lives offers a platform to impact the world through innovation, service, and leadership. Fulfilling our professional potential isn't merely about climbing the corporate ladder; it's about finding purpose and satisfaction in our contributions to society. This differentiation is one that I am just starting to find in my own experience. It is a revelation that has taken tons of processing, reflection, failure, and action.

Circling back, fulfilling our professional responsibility might mean pursuing careers that align with our values, continuous skill development, or mentoring others to achieve their best.

By viewing our professional endeavors as a means to contribute positively to society, we not only find deeper meaning in our work but also inspire others to do the same. Start by identifying your core values and seek out roles or projects that resonate with those values, creating a career that feels both meaningful and fulfilling.

Responsibility to your Personal Potential

I would contend that living into the responsibility we owe our personal selves is even more important than that of our professional self.

Yes, we may show up or spend the most waking hours of our day working and trying to realize our professional potential, but our innate humaneness outside of how we see ourselves at work is that much more important.

Realizing our personal potential is a journey of self-discovery and ambition that propels us towards our highest aspirations. This pursuit is less about achieving perfection and more about embracing growth and continuous learning.

By setting goals, seeking out new experiences, and challenging our limitations, we not only enrich our lives but also set a precedent for those around us. Embracing this responsibility means recognizing our unique talents and dedicating ourselves to a path of self-improvement that, in turn, enables us to contribute our best to the world.

Responsibility to Helping Others

The essence of a fulfilled life lies not just in self-advancement but in our contributions to the well-being of others.

Put more plainly, we show up looking to fulfill the responsibilities of the previous four so that we can responsibly help others.

Thought of a different way, imagine the first four responsibilities as filling up a watering can and this is the overflowing act of watering the world.

Helping others can manifest in myriad forms, from volunteer work to simple acts of kindness in our daily interactions. Studies have shown that altruism not only benefits recipients but also enhances the giver's happiness, health, and sense of purpose.

This mutual benefit underscores the importance of looking beyond our needs to how we can serve others. Engaging in community service, offering your skills for the betterment of others, or simply lending an ear to someone in need are actionable ways to live up to this responsibility. Remember, in helping others, we elevate ourselves and nurture a more compassionate world.

Is there a responsibility that is calling you to step up to the plate?

Which one is it? Send a letter back letting me know.

Best,

Older You