The Tipping Point is You

Everyone of us wants to do something meaningful with our lives. The problem is that few of us are willing to actually do it. It’s not so much that we don’t want to do the work, but that we don’t want to invest all the time it will take with no guarantee of a payoff.

That’s where you come in.

We’re all waiting for someone to lead the way and show that it’s possible, but very few will take the first steps forward. The ball is in motion, but it’s not to the edge of the cliff yet. It needs another little push.

Before everyone jumps on board, they need to see a real proof of concept. Can you really make it working for yourself? If I decide to do something important, will it really not blow up in my face? Can I actually take a risk and recover from it if it doesn’t work out?

That’s where you come in.

The World of Social Proof

The entire world runs on social proof. For an idea to spread, the masses need to see that it’s a good one and it’ll work out. In this way, it’s the masses that control the future much more than the leaders.

If you choose to stand at the front of the line, to be an early adopter, then the burden of proof is on you to get the ball rolling before others jump on board. The burden is on you to get other early adopters to pay attention to what you’re doing and spread the word.

Some call the world lazy and unwilling to change, but I reject that idea. We’ve seen over and over again that people from all walks of life are willing to work incredibly hard to achieve a common goal… so long as the goal has been proven to be a good one.

We’re a fickle bunch with many demands on our time and attention. We need the best ideas with the best proof that they’ll work before we’ll go all in.

If you’ve been reading Riskology.co for long, you’ve probably noticed that the articles that get more comments at first, end up getting many more comments in the long run. When more people re-tweet a link… even more people re-tweet the link.

We’re hardwired to look for social proof. Once we see enough of the people around us doing something, we’ll do it too. But someone has to start it.

That’s where you come in.

The Tipping Point is You

So who’s going to be the leader? Who’s going to alpha-test the system? Where are all of our early adoptors? Someone has to push the ball over the cliff, don’t they?

The tipping point is you. Once you make the first move, others will follow. But that’s a lot of pressure, isn’t it?

It’s best not to get caught up thinking that you have to change the whole world. It’s worth a shot, but if it’s too overwhelming, you needn’t worry much about that. You don’t need to tip the whole world, just a few other people. You can be the tipping point of your own sphere of influence.

Whether you have a few friends or a few thousand, you can be the early adopter in charge of tipping the scale. You can turn all of those conversations you have about “What I’d do if things were different” into conversations about “What I’m doing now that I’m calling the shots.”

And you don’t have to be a runaway success, though no one will fault you if you are (besides those pesky critics). I’m not a millionaire and I have a modest following of several thousand people, but every day I get to hear from someone that’s read my story and thought to himself, “Well, if he can do it, then I can too.” And that’s just the fuel I need to keep going.

Your world—that is, all those around you willing to work hard but not sure if they should start yet—is waiting for someone to show them that the idea can work.

That’s where you come in.

You Already Know Your Purpose

I get emails once in awhile from people asking me, “How do I figure out what my passion is? How do I know what I should pursue?”

I try to help where I can, but the thing is that I don’t really believe that anyone is truly unclear about what their passion is, or what they’d like to do to make the world a better place. I think everyone is extremely clear about what their ultimate goal is, but they’re afraid to pursue it because who knows if it will actually work out?

That’s where you come in.

If you’re asking yourself what you really want to be doing with your time here and not coming up with an answer, try quieting your mind for just a few seconds. Stop looking at what other people are doing and trying to fit yourself into that mold for just a moment and let yourself dream. Your real mission is the very first vision that you see.

How you decide to go after that vision is up to you, but my recommendation is: first cautiously, then with ferver.

The world needs a tipping point. Your world needs a tipping point. The needle on the scale needs to move just one more tick to the right.

That’s where you come in.

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Image by: Kalense Kid