The Me to We philosophy

Excerpted from Me to We: Turning Self-Help On Its Head by Craig Kielburger and Marc Kielburger. Copyright 2004 by Craig Kielburger and Marc Kielburger. Excerpted, with permission by John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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The Me to We philosophy is grounded in only one habit. Some may call it a step forward in thinking, presenting a fresh and dynamic way of looking at the world. Others might see it as a step backward, a return to the simplest, purest and most basic impulse of humanity: to reach out to each other for survival. From either perspective, this philosophy presents a change in focus -- a shift from the inside out -- and the redefinition of meaning, success, happiness and community.

While some of the self-help books on the market allot a chapter to the importance of reaching out to others, volunteering in the community or helping a loved one, it is often the last chapter, the final stage in the evolution of the better self. But this model is flawed because many people have a hard time reaching the perceived level of perfection needed to qualify for that final stage. Improving ourselves is not necessarily a prerequisite to reaching out, but rather a result of that experience.

So how do we live a life filled with meaning and purpose? Where do we find true happiness? We find it in the power of "we." Happiness is not a solitary pursuit. It is not just about us. It is about us in relationship with others and the world. The surest way to find real happiness is to cultivate relationships and to reach out to our community -- on all levels of our daily existence.

In the choices we make, the way we treat people and the way we spend our time and resources, moving from Me to We helps to revive such key human values as compassion, equality and responsibility. It is a litmus test that we can use when confronted with life's decisions: How will the choice I am making in my life affect our family? Our community? Our nation? Our world? We learn that opening ourselves to others does not cause us to lose time, money or energy, but rather to gain a higher quality of life. The Me to We philosophy provides a tangible way of improving our family bonds and communities and of building a more just society for all people. By coming together, we fulfil both our collective and our personal potential. In short, by helping others, we help ourselves.

We can begin the movement from Me to We by taking small or large actions in our home, in our workplace, within our faith group, within our community and among all of us, including our young people. The key to the equation is action -- making decisions and acting in the mind-set of "we."