书籍：Start Something That Matters(节选1) ZT
========================================================
START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS by Blake Mycoskie
* FROM THE BOOK JACKET *
Love your work, work for what you love, "and change the
world--" all at the same time.
What matters most to you? Should you focus on earning a
living, pursuing your passions, or devoting yourself to
the causes that inspire you? The surprising truth is that
you don't have to choose--and that you'll find more
success if you don't. That's the breakthrough message of
TOMS' One for One movement. You don't have to be rich to
give back and you don't have to retire to spend every day
doing what you love. You can find profit, passion, and
meaning all at once--"right now."
In "Start Something That Matters," Blake Mycoskie tells
the story of TOMS, one of the fastest-growing shoe
companies in the world, and combines it with lessons
learned from such innovative organizations as method,
charity: water, FEED Projects, and TerraCycle. Blake
presents the six simple keys for creating or transforming
your own life and business, from discovering your core
story to being resourceful without resources; from
overcoming fear and doubt to incorporating giving into
every aspect of your life. No matter what kind of change
you're considering, "Start Something That Matters" gives
you the stories, ideas, and practical tips that can help
you get started.
_________________________________________________________________
START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS by Blake Mycoskie
Published by Spiegel & Grau
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Friend,
The reason for this book is simple. I want to share the knowledge we
have gained since starting TOMS, and from the amazing group of
entrepreneurs and activists I have met along the way whom I have
learned so much from. Their stories, as well as mine, are told in
this book with the aim of inspiring, entertaining, and challenging
you to start something that matters.
In addition to sharing the lessons learned, 50 percent of my
proceeds from this book will be used to support inspired readers
through the Start Something That Matters Fund. It is my dream that
this commitment and this book will be the catalyst of many more
organizations and projects making a positive impact on the world.
Thank you for joining us in this great adventure.
Carpe diem,
Blake
July 7, 2011
Colorado Mountains
CHAPTER ONE
THE TOMS STORY
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
--MAHATMA GANDHI
In 2006 I took some time off from work to travel to Argentina. I was
twenty-nine years old and involved in my fourth entrepreneurial
start-up: an online driver-education program for teens that used
only hybrid vehicles and wove environmental education into our
curriculum--earth-friendly innovations that set us apart from the
competition.
We were at a crucial moment in the business's development--revenue
was growing, and so were the demands on our small staff--but I had
promised myself a vacation and wasn't going to back out. For years
I've believed that it's critical for my soul to take a vacation, no
matter how busy I am. Argentina was one of the countries my sister,
Paige, and I had sprinted through in 2002 while we were competing on
the CBS reality program "The Amazing Race." (As fate would have it,
after thirty-one days of racing around the world, we lost the
million-dollar prize by just four minutes; it's still one of the
greatest disappointments of my life.)
When I returned to Argentina, my main mission was to lose myself in
its culture. I spent my days learning the national dance (the
tango), playing the national sport (polo), and, of course, drinking
the national wine (Malbec).
I also got used to wearing the national shoe: the "alpargata," a
soft, casual canvas shoe worn by almost everyone in the country,
from polo players to farmers to students. I saw this incredibly
versatile shoe everywhere: in the cities, on the farms, in the
nightclubs. An idea began to form in the back of my mind: Maybe the
"alpargata" would have some market appeal in the United States. But
as with many half-formed ideas that came to me, I tabled it for the
moment. My time in Argentina was supposed to be about fun, not work.
Toward the end of my trip, I met an American woman in a cafe who was
volunteering with a small group of people on a shoe drive--a new
concept to me. She explained that many kids lacked shoes, even in
relatively well-developed countries like Argentina, an absence that
didn't just complicate every aspect of their lives but also exposed
them to a wide range of diseases. Her organization collected shoes
from donors and gave them to kids in need--but ironically the
donations that supplied the organization were also its Achilles'
heel. Their complete dependence on donations meant that they had
little control over their supply of shoes. And even when donations
did come in sufficient quantities, they were often not in the
correct sizes, which meant that many of the children were still left
barefoot after the shoe drop-offs. It was heartbreaking.
I spent a few days traveling from village to village, and a few more
traveling on my own, witnessing the intense pockets of poverty just
outside the bustling capital. It dramatically heightened my
awareness. Yes, I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that poor
children around the world often went barefoot, but now, for the
first time, I saw the real effects of being shoeless: the blisters,
the sores, the infections--all the result of the children not being
able to protect their young feet from the ground.
I wanted to do something about it. But what?
My first thought was to start my own shoe-based charity, but instead
of soliciting shoe donations, I would ask friends and family to
donate money to buy the right type of shoes for these children on a
regular basis. But, of course, this arrangement would last only as
long as I could find donors; I have a large family and lots of
friends, but it wasn't hard to see that my personal contacts would
dry up sooner or later. And then what? What would happen to the
communities that had begun to rely on me for their new shoes? These
kids needed more than occasional shoe donations from strangers--they
needed a constant, reliable flow.
_________________________________________________________________
========================================================
START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS by Blake Mycoskie
* FROM THE BOOK JACKET *
Love your work, work for what you love, "and change the
world--" all at the same time.
What matters most to you? Should you focus on earning a
living, pursuing your passions, or devoting yourself to
the causes that inspire you? The surprising truth is that
you don't have to choose--and that you'll find more
success if you don't. That's the breakthrough message of
TOMS' One for One movement. You don't have to be rich to
give back and you don't have to retire to spend every day
doing what you love. You can find profit, passion, and
meaning all at once--"right now."
In "Start Something That Matters," Blake Mycoskie tells
the story of TOMS, one of the fastest-growing shoe
companies in the world, and combines it with lessons
learned from such innovative organizations as method,
charity: water, FEED Projects, and TerraCycle. Blake
presents the six simple keys for creating or transforming
your own life and business, from discovering your core
story to being resourceful without resources; from
overcoming fear and doubt to incorporating giving into
every aspect of your life. No matter what kind of change
you're considering, "Start Something That Matters" gives
you the stories, ideas, and practical tips that can help
you get started.
_________________________________________________________________
START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS by Blake Mycoskie
Published by Spiegel & Grau
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Friend,
The reason for this book is simple. I want to share the knowledge we
have gained since starting TOMS, and from the amazing group of
entrepreneurs and activists I have met along the way whom I have
learned so much from. Their stories, as well as mine, are told in
this book with the aim of inspiring, entertaining, and challenging
you to start something that matters.
In addition to sharing the lessons learned, 50 percent of my
proceeds from this book will be used to support inspired readers
through the Start Something That Matters Fund. It is my dream that
this commitment and this book will be the catalyst of many more
organizations and projects making a positive impact on the world.
Thank you for joining us in this great adventure.
Carpe diem,
Blake
July 7, 2011
Colorado Mountains
CHAPTER ONE
THE TOMS STORY
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
--MAHATMA GANDHI
In 2006 I took some time off from work to travel to Argentina. I was
twenty-nine years old and involved in my fourth entrepreneurial
start-up: an online driver-education program for teens that used
only hybrid vehicles and wove environmental education into our
curriculum--earth-friendly innovations that set us apart from the
competition.
We were at a crucial moment in the business's development--revenue
was growing, and so were the demands on our small staff--but I had
promised myself a vacation and wasn't going to back out. For years
I've believed that it's critical for my soul to take a vacation, no
matter how busy I am. Argentina was one of the countries my sister,
Paige, and I had sprinted through in 2002 while we were competing on
the CBS reality program "The Amazing Race." (As fate would have it,
after thirty-one days of racing around the world, we lost the
million-dollar prize by just four minutes; it's still one of the
greatest disappointments of my life.)
When I returned to Argentina, my main mission was to lose myself in
its culture. I spent my days learning the national dance (the
tango), playing the national sport (polo), and, of course, drinking
the national wine (Malbec).
I also got used to wearing the national shoe: the "alpargata," a
soft, casual canvas shoe worn by almost everyone in the country,
from polo players to farmers to students. I saw this incredibly
versatile shoe everywhere: in the cities, on the farms, in the
nightclubs. An idea began to form in the back of my mind: Maybe the
"alpargata" would have some market appeal in the United States. But
as with many half-formed ideas that came to me, I tabled it for the
moment. My time in Argentina was supposed to be about fun, not work.
Toward the end of my trip, I met an American woman in a cafe who was
volunteering with a small group of people on a shoe drive--a new
concept to me. She explained that many kids lacked shoes, even in
relatively well-developed countries like Argentina, an absence that
didn't just complicate every aspect of their lives but also exposed
them to a wide range of diseases. Her organization collected shoes
from donors and gave them to kids in need--but ironically the
donations that supplied the organization were also its Achilles'
heel. Their complete dependence on donations meant that they had
little control over their supply of shoes. And even when donations
did come in sufficient quantities, they were often not in the
correct sizes, which meant that many of the children were still left
barefoot after the shoe drop-offs. It was heartbreaking.
I spent a few days traveling from village to village, and a few more
traveling on my own, witnessing the intense pockets of poverty just
outside the bustling capital. It dramatically heightened my
awareness. Yes, I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that poor
children around the world often went barefoot, but now, for the
first time, I saw the real effects of being shoeless: the blisters,
the sores, the infections--all the result of the children not being
able to protect their young feet from the ground.
I wanted to do something about it. But what?
My first thought was to start my own shoe-based charity, but instead
of soliciting shoe donations, I would ask friends and family to
donate money to buy the right type of shoes for these children on a
regular basis. But, of course, this arrangement would last only as
long as I could find donors; I have a large family and lots of
friends, but it wasn't hard to see that my personal contacts would
dry up sooner or later. And then what? What would happen to the
communities that had begun to rely on me for their new shoes? These
kids needed more than occasional shoe donations from strangers--they
needed a constant, reliable flow.
_________________________________________________________________
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