You’ve heard it before. We’re all selfish by human nature, and that assumption is the single largest reason that the world is designed the way it is. That’s why you can’t enter the subway without a ticket. Why you have to pay before you go into the ballpark. Otherwise, individuals would take advantage of the system, and give nothing in return – right?

But what if that’s a flawed assumption? What if people are not actually selfish? As a result, WHAT IF the world was designed based on generosity rather than selfishness?

Please, watch this TED video by Nipun Mehta (it’s 18 minutes long)…I’ll wait.

Nipun is talking about a concept called “giftivism”, which is defined as “the practice of radically generous acts that change the world”. In other words, pay it forward. One of the examples in the book is Karma Kitchen. While in DC a little less than a year ago, I was fortunate enough to visit on of their restaurants. Let me tell you, it’s truly an amazing thing to go to a restaurant, eat a meal, and receive a bill that says “$0”. Why is it “free”? Because people before me had already paid for my meal. And you know what? I left well beyond the cost of my meal so that others could experience the same feeling in the future. It’s a powerful concept, and it generates word of mouth because it’s different — and it’s the RIGHT thing to do.

How can giftivism be incorporated into a real estate brokerage? Maybe I’m wrong, but I still believe there are opportunities for real estate brokerages to stand for MORE than just great service and local knowledge of the market. I believe many consumers are moving toward a world where they don’t decide who they work with purely by the economics of that decision. They want to work with people and companies making the world better and not just advancing their own bottom line. Or, maybe that’s just me — and all my friends. We may be a minority, but I know the vast majority of my friends think along the same lines when it comes to a preference to doing business with socially conscious organizations and individuals (note I’m NOT in the market for a home).

Yeah, yeah, I know..what’s this have to do with real estate technology? Well, nothing really. But those who know me understand why I’m posting this here – life is about more than YOUR needs. It’s about giving back to others, and leaving the world a better place than when you entered it.

To wrap up, back to giftivism. What are you doing to make your local COMMUNITY better? What are you giving back? I concur with Will Smith when he said:

If you’re not making someone else’s life better, you’re wasting your time.

Pay it forward, and it will come back to you ten fold.

Going forward, I’m going to look to share more stories of those in our industry giving back in their local community. On that note, if you know anyone whose story should be told, please send me a note at drew @ esmexecdesigns dot com.