Nudging into the future

The May 16th New York Times business section had an interesting article by David Leonhardt.

While not specifically about start ups, it points out an important piece about the opportunities all around us that are typically overlooked.

Mr. Leonhardt cites small changes made in otherwise un-notable parts of daily life that can prove life changing and even life saving.

Two profs from the University of Chicago are writing a book about this phenomenon tentatively titled 'Nudge'. It is about the creative application of simplicity and common sense.

From a micro enterprise perspective, this is yet more encouragement. The world is full of small, important opportunities. While most won't make headlines, many will change the world in small appreciable ways.

Your ability to fix problems and make the world a better place has never been more needed or more possible.

Here's how Mr.Leonhardt closes his piece. "There are a lot of problems that nudging won’t solve. It won’t keep Medicare from going bankrupt. It won’t lift stagnant middle-class incomes or reverse global warming. But there are also a lot of problems in which neither politics nor knowledge is the real obstacle and a whole lot of progress is just waiting to be made."

Amen.


David Leonhardt’s article ’Sometimes, What’s Needed Is a Nudge’. May 16 NY Times.