Change.org Founder Ben Rattray on Why We Need YOU to Change the World

by Nathaniel Whittemore · 2009-09-28 10:41:00 UTC
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Change.org founder Ben Rattray is a behind the scenes kind of guy. Night and day, he's tweaking, thinking, and building to create the most powerful space for this community possible. But when he does have occasion to step out from behind the computer, he has some pretty important things to say. A few months ago, Ben was a featured speaker at the Big Omaha conference, and gave a great talk about why we should think differently about our own happiness.

Ben Rattray of Change.org @ Big Omaha 2009 from Big Omaha on Vimeo.

Ben's basic point, to me, is that we should be pursuing careers dedicated to being a part of problem solving. For him, its not just that the problems are huge - although that is a part of it - it is that in his estimation, it's the right decision in terms of our personal satisfaction and self-interest to be a part of solving problems of social importance.

Ben shares that, for him, he spent most of his life with a plan for how he was going to graduate, become an investment banker, make a ton of money and then a couple decades later, do work that actually meant something to him. While on a program in Washington D.C., however, an older mentor asked him why not find a career that he never wanted to retire from?

He brings up interesting research which suggests that we aren't always great at determining what's going to make us happy. As much as it may seem like it's that flat screen TV - it's often more about the significance of our actions. We're legacy hunters, whether we know it or not. Most of all, Ben discusses how this is a case in which self-interest aligns with what the world needs. We need careers of more meaning, the world needs people dedicated to solving social problems.

Check out the full talk above, or head on over to Ben's Change.org profile and leave him a compliment!

(Photo: turoczy)

Nathaniel Whittemore is the founder of Assetmap. Previously he was the founding director of the Northwestern University Center for Global Engagement.
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