I was thinking about ROI the other day.

You know, Return on Investment.

That thing we're all supposed to be chasing.

But here's the thing about returns - we're usually looking in all the wrong places.

We're so focused on immediate gains, quick wins, and measurable outcomes that we miss the bigger play.

I've spent a lot of time in rooms where ROI is the only language spoken.

Spreadsheets and projections.

Numbers and charts.

Don't get me wrong - that stuff matters.

But there's this other kind of return that nobody's tracking.

It happens when you pour into someone else's cup.

When you take the time to really listen.

To show up.

To give a shit.

{newssletter}

Here's what I've learned after years of building communities and watching people grow:

The returns on filling someone else's cup are fucking astronomical.

But they don't show up on your quarterly reports.

They show up years later.

In random text messages that start with "remember when you told me..."

In LinkedIn messages from people you barely remember meeting.

In faces lighting up when they see you at events.

"That conversation we had? It changed everything."

That's the kind of ROI you can't track on a spreadsheet.

It's the compound interest of human connection.

And here's the wild part - it happens when you're not even trying to make it happen.

When you're just being present.

Being generous.

Being human.

I've seen it play out a thousand times.

That moment when you take the time to really hear someone.

To help them see their own light.

To believe in their crazy idea.

Years later, they're doing things they never thought possible.

And maybe they remember that one conversation.

That one moment when someone bothered to fill their cup.

That's the real return.

The ripple effect that keeps going.

The light that keeps spreading.

But here's the kicker - you can't do it if you're calculating the return while you're doing it.

You have to give freely.

Without expectation.

Without agenda.

Just pure, unfiltered belief in human potential.

In my world, that's the highest ROI play you can make.

Everything else is just numbers on a page.

Until next time.

This is Ground Control.

- Patrick