Quote by Leonard Nimoy.
I’ve experienced the truth of this a long time ago during my apprenticeship, without being aware of it. You probably remember those days when you had to prepare for an exam, but due to time constraints, you couldn’t look up everything in the books. So my friend and I compiled summaries of the most important things. Not surprisingly, these summaries quickly became very popular in class, and more people asked us if we could share it with them. I remember that back then I was sceptical about this and was asking myself “Why should I give it to them? We put a lot of work in it and they just want to copy that? No way!” At the end of the day, they got it anyway either through my friend or some other way. Eventually, I just said to myself “Oooookaay, give it to everyone who asks,” and even without being asked, I would tell them that I have a summary for the next exam and sent it to whomever wanted it.
The funny thing that happened next, which I’ve only realised recently, is that after I took that step, I received a lot more input for our summaries. Everyone knew we were working on them, so everyone sent us helpful information and content for the document.
Also outside of school, I could feel the appreciation, which lead to better personal relations and better friendships. People will appreciate that you share something they can use without asking for something in return. AND, later on, they will remember you when they find something that might be of interest to you! Maybe even more valuable than this, are the discussions that arise from sharing, which will inevitably lead to many new ideas.
I truly agree with Nimoy and will apply his wisdom in my life every day. It’s no surprise that open source software or open source, in general, is more popular than ever before as it is all about sharing and learning from each other.
So if you’re reading this right now, remember Nimoy next time someone asks you to share something with them. Start now, and share this blog post with someone and experience the power of sharing!