Give a Little More Than You Take

Consumption vs Production

The other week we watched Joseph: Kings of Dreams as a family. It’s the Dreamworks animated retelling of Joseph’s story in the Bible. In the movie there is a scene and song where Joseph is doing work for Potiphar. Joseph works hard to solve different problems. In the lyrics there is a line that says, “you’ve got to give a little more than you take.”

That line really stood out to me. It’s easy in today's day and age to take more than you give.

In the James Clear 3-2-1 Newsletter, I was reminded of this idea again:

“The more you create, the more powerful you become.

The more you consume, the more powerful others become.” — James Clear

To me, this means I need to spend more time making games and less time playing them. It also means I need to spend more time creating content that helps others and less time-consuming content for myself.

Is playing games bad? Certainly not, the song says: give a little more than you take. It’s okay to consume. But it is a balance.

Ask yourself. What are the ways you give to society (create) and what are the ways you take (consume)? Are you at a good balance? What is one change you could make right now to tip the scales?

Thanks for reading,
Ben

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