Seth Godin, who’s a master blogger and an even greater master of marketing, talks a lot about growing your personal brand. A brand is pointless though, Godin says, unless generosity is one of it’s core values. This doesn’t mean that everybody is their own charity, at least not monetarily speaking. The idea of building a platform or a brand of generosity is that each of us have thoughts, talents, ideas, and messages worth sharing and worth spreading, and in todays’ society it has never been easier to gain that type of platform on a global scale.

The simple reminder today is that each of us, regardless of the size or reach of our platform, has a responsibility to share and give what we have generously. If you have fifteen thousand followers on social media and the only message you are spreading is shameless self-promotion, I would urge you to reconsider, and to find a message worth spreading, thoughts worth sharing, and ideas worth growing.

Change does not solely stem from those who have the political or financial power to affect it. Change finds it’s roots in the hearts of normal men and women who have a message and an idea that they refuse to let die until those that have the power finally listen. The is the kind of power and responsibility that comes with growing a personal brand.

A platform without a message is like a king without a kingdom. Without citizens to defend, wars to fight and problems to solve, he will simply sit in the splendor of his own palace until he himself becomes as lifeless as the throne he comfortably rests on.

You were created to create, and once you’ve created, you are called to share generously with the world around you.