How to Be Useful: There is Always Something

---

We know so many of our listeners are people who are working in the community to make things better for people who are marginalized and therefore, the community as a whole.  But we're guessing that even you powerhouses might feel at a loss sometimes, especially in these crazy times.  

"What can I do that is effective?  What will actually  help?  What is my capacity to take on more?  These are all questions I struggle with regularly and maybe you do, too. "

Our guest this week is serial entrepreneur and problem-solver Laura Fitton.  A college chum from my Cornell days, Laura and Charles spent a lot of time together at Cornell Outdoor Education leading backpacking trips, teaching rock climbing and developing communication and leadership skills.  Even back then, Laura stood out with her intelligence, drive and courage. Those characteristics showed up in the first thing she chose to do after college. She got a job cooking for an educational program on a tall ship sailing back and forth across the Atlantic. She took that job despite being prone to sea-sickness because she believed in the Sea Education Association and its mission. 

Laura eventually took her smarts and passion and started her own internet start up called oneforty.com after the original character limit on then-nascent Twitter. She sold her company to a large inbound marketing company and got to host a major annual conference featuring some pretty amazing speakers. 

Laura went on to start a company to address climate change (the Enough Company) and the pandemic (The PPE Index). The throughline in all her ventures was seeing a need and deciding to do something to meet it, with her trademark intelligence and empathy.  

This episode started off talking about the nature of entrepreneurship but ended up diving into the nature of evil and how to avoid it. No, seriously… the nature of evil. 

So be prepared to get inspired, enlightened, and frankly, a little challenged. There are some very clear calls to action in this episode.

Key Takeaways: 

• How to be an early adopter/evangelizer
  • Your ideas are something to SHARE - that’s what gives them attractive value
  • Be fascinated
  • Your anxiety can be adaptive if it helps you see new things on the horizon. But it’s mal-adaptive if it makes you freeze. Use your anxiety to notice things but tame it so you can function for yourself and the world. 
  • Instead of pitching someone (trying to convince them to do something for you) … find out how to be useful to them.
• How to help solve the Climate Crisis
  • Your energy spending, food purchasing, and banking decisions can make a difference. 
  • Purchase your power from Arcadia.com.
  • Choose to bank at an institution that invests in ways that backs up your beliefs. Credit Unions are great options.
• How to Be Good
  • Focus on empathy
  • Remember: 
    • The binary is a myth
    • People are not objects
    • Don’t get lost in your own shit
  • When we fall into all three mistakes, that’s where evil comes from

References:

• Cornell University College Scholar Program
• Sunrise Movement
• Environmental Justice
• Guy Kawasaki
• The Enough Co.
• 7 Pillars Facebook Live 

Resources: 

• Arcadia Power Sign Up
• Prescott Farmers Market Double UP
• Hewlett Packard Foundation
• Blog post on how Covid is a “Grey Rhino.” 

 Do a Science: 

1. Support your closest, hardest-hit, community

Coronavirus cases by county

1. Find an organization in that community
2. Ask them what they need

OR Just Choose
Dine (Navajo) Nation Recovery Fund
​