“What needs to be done that no one else is doing?

What needs to be done that no one else is working on? It’s such a great question to ask when thinking about what to focus on.

Personal is limitless

“What needs to be done” part is, it seems to me, a well-thought intuition.

We wander around, scrolling our personalized news feeds of life, and experience so many things that frustrate us. Frustrations build, sometimes for years and decades. Even if we don’t decide to step aside and sketch it on a piece of paper, thought processes run in the background of our minds. It’s personal, deeply disturbing, and continuous. “Why the f*** no one has solved this s***?!” 

“What needs to be done” is a question that is always answered with our hearts and stomachs. Something is so wrong that it hurts. Think about the last seven days of your life. What about the world hurts the most? We are humans, a universal kind, so if something hurts us, there’s a high probability that it hurts others as well. Sometimes these others are massive groups of people, our fellows.

Hello, WHY. WHY is grand. In business, it does fundraising and secures great hires. In politics, it fuels movements and leads to votes. All the WHYs in the world are personal and therefore emotional, so they resonate.

“What needs to be done” is urgent too, the most important aspect of any sales. 

The world full of failures 

The world, as it is, is always –  failed. At least: unfinished. There’s always something rotten that needs to be fixed. Solving old problems always leads to new challenges and so on. That’s life. A never-ending story. Camus still imagines Sisyphus as happy though. What is life without challenges and trills?

This is the rational aspect of the initial question. 

If a problem, a cause, (potentially) resonates with the large population, it’s a perfect combination. If the answer to the second part of the question is that no one else is working on it – it’s an immediate opportunity. It’s anchored in reality and it requires a rational assessment of the real world. It starts with the world as it is. 

Where personal meets the real needs

I like to think about this question as to the bridge between personal, even ethics, and the market. That’s good for everyone.

If no one else is working on it, and it’s spread, your work is important, and others will understand and support you, either by joining or “buying”. Working on it, whatever it might be, keeps us the most productive because we are intrinsically passionate – it’s personal. It just feels right. It’s our mission.