Every once in a while you come across a person whose life is ignited by his or her inner passion to make a difference in the world. In my observation, this connection is the natural result of a resolution to live a life of selfless giving. Jessica Jackley is one such person.
I discovered Jessica, co-founder of Kiva.org, through a friend of mine who blogged on a presentation she gave at the 2010 Mashable Social Good Summit. Jessica was initially inspired by Professor Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Prize and Presidential Medal of Freedom winning Bangladeshi economist who founded Grameen Bank, a micro-finance company dedicated to combatting poverty through innovative means.
What stood out to me in Jessica’s presentation is the nobility of her cause, her uncommon faith in humanity and her definition of entrepreneurship.
A Noble Cause
Jessica’s passion centers on empowering entrepreneurs in both developed and developing nations. She feels, and I agree, that fostering entrepreneurship in even the poorest of conditions is one of the most effective ways to work towards the eradication of poverty. Her efforts, in the just under 5 years since Kiva.org was founded, have facilitated $160 million in loans in 206 countries through 500,000 lenders. Not bad, eh?
Faith in Humanity
Jessica is convinced and is proving that there is value in seeing each other – no matter what our socioeconomic status – as individuals capable of hard work and of fulfilling potential. Rather than seeing the world’s poor as incapable of caring for themselves, she finds that they are often the hardest working, eager and respectful people she’s met if given even a meager financial starting point.
Definition of Entrepreneurship
Jessica sees entrepreneurship as a key to unlocking the potential inherent in any person. She noted in her presentation that “Entrepreneurship at its basic level is about hope, about believing that tomorrow can be better than today and about deciding to take steps to better the world and add value.” I agree absolutely!
The best way to make a difference in the world is to take a genuine interest in others, support their dreams and assist them to their fulfillment. Most parents instinctively do this for their children, as do many teachers for their students, but what of everyone else?
There is plenty of evidence of a giving spirit at every level of society, but I have to wonder if we could do better. Could we, for instance, be more effective at educating our youth on the value of giving to others on a genuine and not just transactional basis? Genuine giving is therapeutic and liberating. It frees the soul.
Laying down your life for others needn’t imply sacrifice, in fact, it is the basis of a meaningful and fulfilling life. Far too many people have come and gone having lived an unfulfilling life because of a failure to sufficiently give freely.
Investing in others involves risk as well as reward. We can collaborate to make the world a better place by being willing to invest in one another’s success. It is a simple as that.
Gregory Hake 
At so many times of my life when I’ve felt tight and constrained, the simplest act of genuine giving completely changed my awareness and perspective of myself. And this was not pre-meditated, it’s not like I was following an instruction book — but when I got out of myself, my own troubles, and focused on someone else by genuinely desiring to help them out of a certain trouble they were having and realizing that I could actually help them in a meaningful way, well then, how quickly things changed for me. Makes me think much of what we feel are simply misinterpretations of perspective with then give rise to feelings and attitudes which then can take a life of their own, validating our initial perspective.
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Misinterpretations can be a tremendous time waster! And drawing conclusions from a misinterpretation is even more wasteful!
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The old “give a fish and feed them for a day or teach them to fish and feed the for a lifetime” is true. I’d add to that by saying teach them and they will teach others as well. There is something noble in the experience of taking personal responsibility. Great cause and great solution.
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I agree! Thanks for your comment this morning.
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Life is For-giving….
As we do so, honestly, Self-centeredness is banished,
Righteousness restored, and our capacities for expression
are truly freed.
Thanks for this Powerful reminder Gregg, seeking new ways to give and forgive, is certainly at the top of my agenda for today!
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You’re welcome, Joshua.
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Absolutely agree!
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Whenever I am feeling down, I have found that, somewhere, I have forgotten the basic tenet that life should be focused on what I can do for others. There is a reason that living life this way makes you feel so good. I really like these microfinance initiatives. It is true in many places that even with good ideas, it is difficult to start any kind of business because of the poverty standard in the area. Many of these people, if given a chance, have a business ethic that would make them very successful. The key here (and in all giving) is to give generously, but intelligently. Don’t allow people to become dependent on handouts, but empower them with the leverage to become successful themselves!
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I like that: “give generously, but intelligently.” Thanks!
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Thanks for the introduction to Jessica Jackley and Kiva.org
We will pass the word!
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Great post!
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Thank you!
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I checked out kiva.org – wow what an ingenious program. Great way to get involved in a global support system. Thanks for sharing the link. I’m inspired by your post today!
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My pleasure. Jessica is doing a great job and I applaud her efforts!
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