Success begins with a simple exercise. Do not start by asking, “How do I make money?” Instead, ask, “Who are my friends and what can we create together?”
NV Paulose, Chairman, Global TV +91 98441 82044
Imagine opening your contact list on your phone. There may be hundreds or even thousands of names. Most people see only names and phone numbers. A Dreamer sees possibilities.
Make an imaginary selection of ten people. Do not overthink the process. They may be family members, former colleagues, teachers, entrepreneurs, artists, farmers, professionals, students, or friends. The only requirement is that you know them well enough to begin a conversation. These ten people become your First Circle. The objective is not to sell something to them. The objective is to understand what economic activities can emerge through collaboration. Meet each person in your First Circle and ask these four questions:
- What have been the major turning points in your life?
- Can you share some of your most notable success stories?
- What are the challenges you have overcome, and how did you overcome them?
- What are the valuable lessons from your life?
Record the Conversation and send it to Global TV. When people respond to the Four Questions, they are not merely sharing memories. They are revealing their strengths, values, relationships, and life experiences. Appreciative Inquiry teaches us that every individual has something that works well, something worth celebrating, and something that can contribute to the future. Every conversation opens the door to new possibilities.
A turning point in someone’s life may reveal an opportunity that changed an entire family or community. Understanding how that transformation happened may inspire new projects or guide others facing similar situations. A success story may contain a practical model that can be documented, published, taught, or replicated elsewhere. What worked once can often work again in a different context.
A challenge that was successfully overcome becomes a source of resilience and practical wisdom. The methods, decisions, and attitudes that helped someone overcome adversity can become valuable learning resources for students, entrepreneurs, professionals, or community leaders. The lessons learned through years of experience become intellectual capital. These insights can evolve into mentoring programmes, workshops, articles, documentaries, books, podcasts, or community dialogues that benefit future generations.
As these stories emerge, new possibilities begin to appear. A remarkable life journey may become a role model for a new initiative. A successful initiative may become a collaborative venture for others to join. An innovative solution to a local problem may inspire new enterprises. A personal story revealed through the conversation may connect people who have never collaborated before. A lifetime of experience may become the foundation for mentoring future leaders. A community achievement may inspire tourism, research, or public recognition. A simple conversation may uncover opportunities for collaboration that none of the participants had previously imagined.
This is the essence of Appreciative Inquiry. Instead of asking, “What is missing?” we ask, “What is already working, and how can we build upon it?” Every conversation begins by discovering strengths. Every strength becomes a possibility. Every possibility becomes the seed of a new Circle, and every Circle creates new Cycles of learning, collaboration, innovation, and sustainable economic activity.
None of these activities require large investments. They require observation, conversation, and coordination.
Now imagine connecting these ten people with one another. The teacher collaborates with the photographer to create educational videos. The farmer works with the hotel owner to organize farm visits for tourists. The software engineer builds a website for local businesses. The lawyer and banker conduct financial literacy workshops. The homemaker and nutritionist create healthy cooking programs.
The possibilities multiply because value is created between people, not within isolated individuals. This is where the concept of Circles and Cycles begins to operate. The Circle consists of ten trusted individuals. The Cycle begins when they repeatedly interact. They meet. They exchange ideas. They identify opportunities. They create projects. They document outcomes. They publish stories.
They attract new participants. They generate income. They reinvest in the community. Then the cycle starts again. With every completed cycle, trust grows stronger, knowledge becomes richer, and new economic opportunities emerge. An important realization follows. The value of the circle is not measured by the wealth of its members. It is measured by the diversity of their knowledge, relationships, experiences, and willingness to collaborate. Ten ordinary people working independently may produce ten separate outcomes.
The same ten people working as a connected circle can produce dozens of new opportunities that none of them could have created alone. This is the power of network economics. The exercise should not end with identifying ten people. Repeat it every month. Select another ten contacts. Explore their abilities. Connect them with existing circles. Document the collaborations. Observe which activities generate social value, economic value, and long-term relationships. Over time, one circle becomes many circles.
Many circles become a community. Communities become regional networks. Regional networks become a knowledge economy. Revenue is no longer viewed as the result of selling products. It becomes the natural outcome of connecting people, enabling collaboration, and repeating productive cycles.
Progress does not begin with capital. Progress begins with a conscious decision to look at ten familiar names and ask a new question: “What can we build together?”
