198. The Single Most Important Thing to Do: Kumi Naidoo [reads] “Dearest MaRiky”

A favourite quote of mine, a call to action really and one that I reference in How to Begin, is “give more to the world than you take.” Jacqueline Novogratz said it, and she’s the founder of Acumen a venture capital firm that invests in non-profits making the world a better place. 

I find it powerful because it’s about the long game. Over your lifetime, give more than you take. There are some seasons when you need to harvest, of course. You trying to build a good life for yourself.

But there should be other seasons when you plant, and when you build.

Adam Grant’s first book was about giving and taking, and the core insight from that book is that people who give, paradoxically, tend to be the most successful, so long as they give in a sustainable way. The people who give without boundaries tend to fail over time.

I suspect on balance that many of us could get better at giving. I also know that for many of us, we have to learn to also receive.

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Kumi Naidoo reads two pages from Dearest MaRiky. [reading begins at 20:56]

Hear us discuss:

• “My area of focus right now is very much asking the question, what will it take for activism to win bigger and faster? And if I write that up as a book, I'll probably call it The Reflections of a Failed Activist.” [09:10]
• “When we think about health and self-care, we tend to often think more about physical health and we're not sufficiently ready. to embrace the idea that we are dealing with a colossal global mental health crisis right now, from eco-anxiety, from climate anxiety, and also just a sense of injustice that people feel.” [19:42]
• "Vulnerability is expressing strength and courage, not an acknowledgment of weakness and failure." [35:12]
• "Activism is about people who look at the world, say 'this is an injustice,' and contribute in a way that makes a difference." [37:14]
• "The moment of history we find ourselves in, pessimism is a luxury we simply cannot afford." [42:51]

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Resources:

Kumi Naidoo | Instagram | X | Facebook | Letters To my Mother

Louisa Zondo | Dearest MaRiky

Mentioned Episodes:

#148, Know Your Neighbors, Know Yourself with Zita Cobb

#176, What Beckons You? with Olatunde Sobomehin