So I am listening to Tim Ferris’ interview with Walter Isaacson about his new book on Leonardo DaVinci while walking the dog. There are a number of excellent takeaways and I strongly encourage you to give it a listen.
The most important takeaway was this: How do you go from success to significance?
What a bold question to ask yourself. If you work hard, practice, get good at what you do, you will be successful. It will happen.
But what’s next? How much success do you need? You can always challenge yourself to do more. You can always repeat earlier success – there’s nothing wrong with that. But after you’ve been at it for a while, there has to be more. More than another brass ring to grab. Something more than success for yourself or the people you work for.
Significance is so much bigger than yourself. It’s way beyond you. It’s something that might take years, or a lifetime, to attain. You may never achieve it. But it is a noble goal.
I wish I had the answer to this question. It’s been stewing in my mind for days and will probably for some time to come.
Think about it yourself. Think about significance in the context of what you are doing today. Are you do the kinds of things that will propel you beyond success? If not, how can you make adjustments?
As Isaacson pointed out, Franklin and Leonardo did lots of small things, any one of which might have made him famous. But both held such a larger perspective on the world that they saw the significance of their work.
Although it is of little significance, my dog loved the nice long walk.