Bad things don’t happen when we care; they happen when we don’t care.

None of us can do everything, but there’s one very powerful, almost magical thing we can all strive to do. And it doesn’t cost money and it doesn’t require any special technology or experience. And the most creative people and companies all do it. And here it is in just three little words: You must care.

Caring is a state in which doing something right, better or first truly matters—not just because it could make you rich or famous, but because you’re passionate about the difference it could make for your family, your industry, your company or community.

Believe it or not, there are millions of people in the world who don’t care deeply about much of anything. “In many areas of business today, sadly, to care is an innovation,” wrote Max DePree in Leadership is An Art. That’s why the odds always favor the people and companies who are busy pursuing an exciting dream, mission, idea or innovation that they fiercely care about.

The principle is as powerful and dependable as the tide: The moment you start pursuing a crazy wonderful idea for yourself or your company, you create a gap between where you are and where you really want to be. The passion and energy derived from trying to close that gap is what generates the extraordinary hum, drive and spirit that we see in the most creative and successful companies.

Psychologist Rollo May was right when he said that caring is the source of human tenderness. But it’s also one of the main engines of human creativity and innovation and, therefore, a tremendous business advantage. As a daily reminder, I turned this little saying into my screensaver: “Bad things don’t happen when we care. They happen when we don’t care.”

An excerpt from the upcoming  Trust Your Crazy Ideas  book by Dan Zadra.