Stop Thinking About Yourself

Every major religion has a core concept of charity. It's a virtue in Christianity, the third pillar (Zakat) in Islam, an obligation (Tzedakah) in Judaism, and a fundamental principle (Dana) in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Due to its prevalence, I believe the concept of charity is part of what makes us human. While I'm not particularly religious, I think it's important to give to those less fortunate than ourselves. More importantly, I believe the giver should be grateful.

For over 15 years, I have organized the Amazon Golf Tournament. In the early years, it was just me plastering flyers filled with Comic Sans text in the four Seattle buildings that made up our campus. Five years ago, we transitioned to making it a charity golf tournament and started raising money. Since then, we have raised over $1.3 million for a local charity. While I don't do everything myself anymore, that's good because it's now much bigger than me. We had over 250 participants in the event last week …