We must be no less radical in rethinking the foundations of human organizations. Like our forebears, we must do our part to emancipate the human spirit. It is here we find a cause worth serving—to build organizations that give every human being the opportunity to thrive.

The story’s power, then, is twofold: It provides simulation (knowledge about how to act) and inspiration (motivation to act). Note that both benefits, simulation and inspiration, are geared to generating action. In the last few chapters, we’ve seen that a credible idea makes people believe. An emotional idea makes people care. And in this chapter we’ll see that the right stories make people act.

In psychology, expanding our concerns and efforts beyond our own lives is called “generativity” and it’s a key to unlocking the vibrancy and excitement of midlife. Among Harvard Study participants, the happiest and most satisfied adults were those who managed to turn the question “What can I do for myself?” into “What can I do for the world beyond me?” John F. Kennedy—himself a Harvard Study participant—came to understand this well in his own midlife. He offered not just political, but emotional and developmental guidance when, as president, he said, famously, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” When asked at the end of their lives, “What do you wish you’d done less of? What do you wish you’d done more of?” our Study participants, male and female, often referenced their middle years, and regretted having spent so much time worrying and so little time acting in a way that made them feel alive.

One of the most poignant moments for me in doing this research came while watching the Micheal J. Fox documentary Still, in a scene where Fox is working with his physical trainer. Fox, his shoulders visibly shaking, talks with his trainer about what he needs to do to feel better. But the reason he gives for sustaining his effort centers not on lessening his own pain but on what his example means to people in the Parkinson’s community. “People express to me that I make them feel better. I make them do things they might not otherwise do. And that’s, that’s the most powerful thing you could ever feel and that’s a huge responsibility and I don’t want to f— — it up.” In the film, you can see— and it’s difficult to watch— how much Parkinson’s had etched away the physical being of Micheal J. Fox. But you can also see the fire in his eyes, undimmed, burning bright, fueled by a responsibility that he freely chose.

I don’t think of the people in this study as inspirational; I think of them as inspired. I don’t aim to inspire you to be exactly like any of the specific people in this study. I hope, rather, that you’re able to find yourself clicked into frame, inspired by what fits your encodings and ignites your inner fire, and that you commit to pursue it with excellence.