[January 29, 2026] Every person has something to offer. It doesn’t matter whether you are young or old, smart or ignorant, good-looking or ugly, big or small; each of us has something worthwhile to give to our families, communities, or our nation. We also have a moral obligation to do so, not in a way that points fingers, saying “it’s required of you,” but because we do matter, regardless.
“Don’t underestimate the hole your absence would leave.” – Dr. Jordan Peterson, contemporary Canadian psychologist
Each of us has something unique to offer the world that no one else can bring, and yet we often fail to recognize its value. Failing to contribute, out of a sense of duty as a person, effectively takes that gift away from the world. You don’t know, and can’t know, how much less the world would be diminished without your contribution, because we can never fully grasp the complexity of our world.
It’s difficult to argue that the future will bring positive change. We are becoming highly technologically advanced, and the world is changing at a swift pace. The only way we can manage this positively is if as many of us as possible can make wise, careful, and truthful decisions.
We might not always know how our actions will contribute, but we must trust that what we do will continue to improve our world. In some basic way, failing to make our contribution to the highest good of our culture means we are somehow destroying parts of the world. Your value cannot ever be determined, as we do not know how we fit into the fabric of reality.
Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky once famously said that we are not only responsible for what we do, but for what everyone else does. This is a brilliant observation, perhaps insane in its depth, but fundamentally true. Without you, something is missing from the fabric of being that is of an incalculable value. And for us to fail to make our contributions means we will pay a heavy price, one we would not want to pay.
Begin today. You may think that you will be a fool when you begin, but if you are not willing to be a fool, then you’ll never start that journey. Then you won’t develop. The willingness to be a fool is the forerunner to humility, and that is how you can write your destiny. Even if you begin badly, you’ll get smarter as you move forward. Besides, you are not the best judge of what is good for you.
You are obligated to do remarkable things. Grasp that adventure. Remember, you don’t get the gold without the dragon.
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Please read my books:
Everyone has something to offer. That is what Christianity tells us that is one of the fundamental tenets of the Bible, across all the books.
Well, here we are with RULE #60 from Gen. Satterfield, and I must say that I’ve been looking forward to it for some time now. This article has two edges to it. The first is that we must care for ourselves to ensure “we are in the fight” or “being a player.” Regardless how to phrase it, the idea is that we are part of the world and that to make the world better, we must push to make it so (work hard, gain skills, have the right attitude). The second, and this is what Gen. Satterfield is pushing in his narrative, is that each of us has an inherent value and that without us, the world has a whole in it that cannot be estimated. We all should pay close attention to this and to be able to articulate it to young people. Why? Because most of them are having mental problems because of all the radical ideologies floating around that they gravitate to. They are missing high goals in their lives so are vulnerable to those ideologies. Spread the word. They do matter. We can help them.
Mr. satterfield has made me feel like I am 10 years old again. Sir thank you so very much and thank your family to.
Well said, Camila. Me too. That is one of the reasons that I read his articles lately. His entire series on “Letters to My Granddaughter” is filled with these kind of experiences and while the storytelling could be more detailed, I still love them. Gen. Satterfield’s exploits as a child seems to be much deeper than most of us who just liked to ride our bicycles around the neighborhood. He seemed to be everywhere. And his “letters” are testimony to his life as a young boy. I do recommend reading them (see tab at top of this article). And also read his two books:
“Our Longest Year in Iraq.”
“55 Rules for a Good Life.”
Both are great. Get them now. You won’t be disoriented.
Praying for you sir, that you keep giving us “rules for a good life.” 🙏
Well sir, you’ve finally hit the magic number of 60 “rules for a good life” and I’m loving it. There is nothing like your “rules” to help guide us. What I like most about it, is that your entire list follows the Bible but in different words and with different stories. I can see you are a good Christian man. Thank you for being who you are and for these “rules.” I’ll be the one today who recommends your book, “55 Rules for a Good Life” ,,, soon to be 60 rules.
*** It’s here … RULE #60 ***
Every person has something to offer.
👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
Winston, you are right of course, and this is the main point that Gen. Satterfield has been hinting around now for many years on his Leadership Blog. I’m glad he has finally said it out loud. And, it does matter, esp. to those who are very young and are being fed all this Woke crap that makes them depressed and anxious. When these young folks finally wake up and see the word where they can actually play a signifcant role, i think they will start to come around. They will get married, have kids, a good steady job, and good friends. They will see they matter a great deal to all these people and their outlook on life will improve greatly. Thanks for making it succient.
Nothing like a good whack upside the head to tell you something that you should know alreazdy.
Good discussion on the idea that we must all be a “fool” at the start of whatever we do. So, the idea here is to willingly be the fool and remember, this is important, the fool can tell the blunt, brutal truth and get away with it. It’s like a Private in the Army telling his company commander that the fool tastes terrible and he ought to do something about it. Note, that I like to use Army soldier references even if I’m a Navy vet.
We can be the best person in the world, but if we don’t take care of ourselves; our mental and physical health, then we are useless. This taking care of ourselves does not mean we prioritize our careers over people and step on them on our way up. But I’ ve found, from reading Gen. Satterfield, that the higher in an organization you are, the MORE you can do for and care for your employees. This is the pinnacle of leadership. Be a good person first, Then, be a great leader.
This is also what the US military teaches its leaders. And you will find this also in the Bible.
Here is a good reference from an earlier article by Gen. Satterfield on the idea of a “dragon.”
“ Find the Dragon: be Responsible”
https://www.theleadermaker.com/find-the-dragon-be-responsible/
“You are far more than you are; you are much better than you could ever believe you could be. This is the old idea of personal responsibility; compete with yourself to better yourself, find truth where you can (and don’t be easily misled), stand up for yourself, face your fears, and be prepared to go places you might not want to go. Find the Dragon. It’s a hellava lot better to find the dragon in its lair than waiting for it to come and eat you.” – Gen. Doug Satterfield
Finally, RULE #60: You have Something to Offer
We’ve waited a long time for this one and so, thanks!
Yep, lovely day, lovely article.