Boy with amazed look on his face pondering The World Needs You. Photo credit: Ben White

Leadership Tips 17 Sep 15 1 Comments

At What Point In Your Life…?

By Mark Collard
Experiential Trainer, Author & Speaker

My good friend and fellow experiential educator Tom Heck presented a TED Talk recently, and in it, he quoted a colleague of his asking one of the most powerful questions I have heard in recent times:

At what point in your life did you discover that the world needs you?

Pow! It struck me immediately, I had to stop the video, rewind and listen to it again.

Imagine if every classroom was designed and equipped to help students answer this question, before they left school. Imagine if every employee felt empowered to serve their purpose as part of their day to day work.

What a difference this would make.

So. This post beggars the question: When did you discover the world needs you?

For me, it was when I was 20 years of age and attended a 3-day leadership camp with 30 other young people. I was so moved by the experience because I ‘discovered’ who I was and what I was capable of doing. Not that I knew this at the time, but this event inspired my drive to create playmeo.

You can never have enough great questions that invite us (not to mention the groups we work with) to look and think.

Original post September 2015, last updated May 2024.

By Mark Collard - Experiential Trainer, Author & Speaker

Comments (1)

Will Ratliff September 25, 2015

Great question, Mark! And a very thought-provoking post. Appreciate your leadership. I look forward to watching the video. Have a great day!