Walking back down the glacier after a failed attempt to scale K2, Greg Mortenson got lost. Exhausted, freezing and disoriented he walked into a remote Baltistan village that had never seen a foreigner. Those villagers treated him to the best bed and warmest blanket in town. They fed and nursed him until his strength returned and the other members of his expedition returned to find him. On his way out of the village Greg vowed to try to repay the kindness of his hosts. They took him to see “school” which was 70+ kids squatting in a field writing in the dirt. Greg thought, I’ll build them a school.

That was in 1993, and it took two years for the first school to be built. Now there are over 130 schools that the NPO that he’s a director of (www.ikat.org) has built and supports throughout Baltistan.

When India and Pakistan went to war and were lobbing bombs throughout Balstistan Greg immediately flew into the region to see how he could help. With the Taliban streaming in to fight he cared for refugees, built a school and water supply, and offered aid and comfort to thousands of refugees.

When Greg started all this he had no idea what he was doing. By chance (or God’s grace) he met his first critical donors, and with passion and hard work has humbly affected change in a very meaningful way. By having “three cups of tea” with those he sought to help, building relationships and listening before deciding what to do and what the “solution” was Greg, was able to build the trust with people that he had very little in common with.

For more of the story check out “Three Cups of Tea“.

What needs do you see around you that could be met with this kind of humble approach?

For several months I’ve been watching the 1997 Apple ad “Think Different“. I watch it when I feel that my hard work won’t make a difference, or when I’m short on inspiration or drive. I watch it when there seems to be too much to do, and not enough people working on the pile to get it all done. Watching it inspires me, picks me up and gets me moving forward again. It’s hard to believe that a commercial does that job for me; but if you have doubts, watch it yourself right now.

Maybe I should be of an age where the idea of changing the world is no longer inspiring; but for me that’s just not the case. I do want to see change in the world, and I’m finding it harder and harder to believe that incremental, step-by-step efforts are going to get us there. I’m finding myself drawn to those that we call crazy. I think I want to spend more of my time with “crazy” people, I want to spend more of by time being that kind of crazy.

To that end, I’m planning to collect some examples of people that I think fit into that category. People who’s stories are inspiring to me, who make me want more, and willing to risk more.

Who do you know who’s crazy (but the good kind)?