We all need help in some way, and some of us are so used to getting help at every step. We seldom realize what life would be like without people providing us everything that has been taking for granted.
Unfortunately, not everyone gets the help they need or receive aid at a time when they need it the most. That person could be your own friend, colleague, student, father or even your spouse. Yet, you may not have ever paid enough attention to know that they needed your help.
The Selfishness of Being Unselfish
To help others without expectations can often be self-fulfilling and therefore, the oxymoronic concept of being unselfish for selfish reasons does hold true.
In fact, there are actual coaching courses available online that go into further details regarding how the very act of helping others selflessly can be self-rewarding. Besides, it doesn’t always need to be completely selfless either, as we will discuss later on in more detail.
Listen First
It is often said that therapists earn a good living just by getting paid to listen! While that’s oversimplification and wrong on more accounts than is necessary to be discussed here, the listening is indeed a huge part of the whole therapy procedure.
When you start to listen to the people around you, you will not only know that they need help, in most situations, you will also realize exactly the kind of help which they need to solve their problems.
Even if you cannot be a part of the solution which they require, you will unburden them just by listening. When people are able to talk to someone about their problems and life in general, they feel unburdened, which means that by first being a listener, you have already started helping people.
Those that are patient and have often been told by others that they are good listeners, should consider coaching courses that might help them become a professional therapist down the line.
Whom you charge for your time and how much, will still depend on you, so even the profession of therapy can be just as selfless as you would want it to be.
Teach Them a Skill
Each time our brains learn something new, previously non-existent neural pathways are created as a result of that knowledge. It has also been found that people who have hobbies and skills are generally less depressed or anxious, as it acts as a stressbuster.
If you possess any musical, artistic, lingual or professional skills, you can teach to someone with the goal of improving their lives and yours in the process. Such an act could have immense positive effects for both the teacher and the student.
Point Them Towards Professional Coaching Courses
Even when someone does not have the knowledge/skill/time to help someone else, just pointing them to the right place is a huge help. Show them the path to self-improvement and you have already helped them become better versions of themselves.
Professional coaching courses will teach them all the skills they need to help others succeed, and could even set them up for a new career.
Seek Out Those that Need Your Help the Most
If you are content with just helping those around you, you are already doing a much better job at being a compassionate human being than most of society. However, if you do decide to take it a step further, join a charity and help out as a volunteer.
It doesn’t matter which charity you join, as long as it allows you to help those that truly need it the most. It could be an animal shelter or a place to provide shelter to the homeless, but it should make you feel good about what you are doing.
If you have never worked at a charity and provided aid to anyone without a promise of benefit, you will find the feeling to be strangely self-fulfilling.
Donate What You can
You do not need to be a multibillion-dollar philanthropist to start donating. All you need is the will to do so. By giving away what is yours without asking a price for it, you will eventually conquer a huge mental barrier that generally makes us extremely materialistic.
Of course, those shouldn’t donate half of their salary to a charity fund and compromise the living standards of their own family. That would be neglectful of the primary duty every individual has of providing for and helping their own family first.
However, we don’t always need to spend lavishly, and by saving some money by sacrificing a few unnecessary expenses every now and then, small donations are perfectly feasible.
Take it slow and make small donations. Start with the things you don’t really need anymore, but others may have use for yet. Hold a garage sale, but charge nothing for the things that are not needed anyway.
Help Fellow Drivers on the Road, But Carefully
If someone is stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire, stop and help them get out of the fix. However, there is a precaution to be taken here, because there is no shortage of criminals who want to take advantage of good Samaritans and rob them on the side of the road, if not worse.
In case it’s a busy road with enough traffic, then you can actually help people in accidents or stuck otherwise, by getting out of the car.
When you are on a lonely highway, stick to self-fulfillment and helping the fellow driver. Call the emergency number from your cell phone and pointing them towards the accident/incident! Children, women, families and other such assuring facades are often used by felons to make cars stop.
Buy Food for People and Help Animals
A lot of animals do not have a place to sleep and eat at night, and an even gloomier fact is, neither do all people. Instead of giving the homeless money, buy them food and water because it’s not uncommon for them to also be addicts.
Although the addiction itself could be the reason why they are homeless in the first place, refrain from judging them because you were never in their shoes. Be kind and treat them with kindness; you might be surprised at how much they needed that too.
Feed a few stray animals and adopt a few others if you can. Even if it means increasing your expenses a bit. Animals have lost almost everything to us, so showing a little kindness and tolerance to them will only enrich your spirit of self-fulfillment.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t even matter how you do it. As long as it makes you feel good just because you helped someone or something who needed it.
Identity Magazine is all about guiding women to discover their powers of Self-Acceptance, Appreciation, and Personal Achievement. We ask that every contributor and expert answer the Identity questions in keeping with our theme.
Their answers can be random and in the moment or they can be aligned with the current article they have written. In that way, we hope to encourage and motivate each other, thus inspiring you to Get All A’s.
What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? Additionally, what are you still working on accepting? Now, we’re not talking about resignation, rather stepping into, embraced, and owned.
I have come to accept my failures as well as my strengths in dealing with day to day struggles. I understand that sometimes situations cannot always be controlled and that I should learn to appreciate the good times and accept that whatever happens, happens.
Appreciation is everything. What have you learned to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? On the other hand OR in contrast, are there elements of who you are that you’re still working on appreciating?
I have learned to appreciate the people I have that have stuck by me. It’s rare to meet individuals who become an integral part of your life offering support and companionship especially at times when you need it most.
Share with us one of your most rewarding achievements in life? Tell us not only what makes YOU most proud but also share the goals and dreams that you still have.
The biggest achievement in my life would be my 2 children. The goals I have are what I strive to give to my kids for them to have a better life.
Photo by Alexandr Podvalny on Unsplash
