You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.

I'm your host, Elise Hugh. What do you get when you combine a major flood and near bankruptcy?

In this case, the unexpected awakening that reshaped an entire business

into a brand that much of the world knows. In his talk, Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey

takes us back to the night his first store was destroyed and how a community rising from the mud

inspired his lifelong philosophy of win, win, win,

doing good for yourself, the community, and the world around you.

Most people live in a win-lose paradigm, or self-interest is the thing they think of the most.

There's a better way.

A win-win-win-win paradigm.

And this is more than just a game metaphor.

It's a philosophy of human interaction that seeks mutual benefit for everyone.

I had a major epiphany

in the early days of Whole Foods

that helped me wake up to this idea of a win-win-win

way of life.

It was Memorial Day, 1981.

The very first Whole Foods we ever had went through the worst flood that Austin, Texas had experienced in over 70 years.

Overnight, our store was completely destroyed.

We were near bankruptcy.

It looked like our story had ended only nine months after we started it. And then something really cool happened.

When I went to the store the next morning to help clean up, there were a lot of people there

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